AltWeeklies Wire
Two Men Convicted of Murder in Connecticut Fight for a New Trialnew
There was no murder weapon found and no physical evidence to link Ron Taylor and George Gould to the murder. There was only circumstantial evidence and witness testimony. The two witnesses who put them away recanted their stories last week.
New Haven Advocate |
Betsy Yagla |
08-18-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Bye-Bye, Bill Brattonnew
Media coverage has been filled with praise for Bratton, but some are questioning how he could so readily accept a job right after Michael Cherkasky played a key role in helping to hand Bratton a historic career and political victory -- the lifting of the consent decree.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
08-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is the Hutto Decision Really a Victory for Immigration-Rights Advocates?new
The government announced earlier this month that no more undocumented-immigrant families (especially families with small children) will be imprisoned at the for-profit T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas. How big -- or small -- a victory this is for immigration-reform advocates is still a matter of debate.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
08-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Michigan Law Clinic Springs Two Men from Prisonnew
The University of Michigan Innocence Clinic -- considered the first such law school project in the country to tackle cases without DNA evidence -- celebrated its first success recently when Marvin Reed and his nephew Deshawn were released from prison.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
08-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
'Material Support' Charges the Feds' Best Shot in Terrorism Casenew
Prosecutors have increasingly exploited the low threshold of proof necessary to convict suspected terrorists on "material support" charges -- with mixed results
INDY Week |
Matt Saldaña |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In Raleigh, Muslims View FBI with Fear, Mistrustnew
Three days after FBI officials attended an open house at the Islamic Center in Raleigh, the feds arrested seven local Muslims on terrorism charges.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Life in Prison...For Punching a Man in the Facenew
Nearly 17 years ago, Joe Donovan initiated a tragic chain of events with a brutish act of machismo. But should he be in jail for life?
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
California Budget Cuts Squeeze Inmates Out of Prisonsnew
The budget upon which the governor and the Legislature recently agreed included a $1.2-billion cut in prison funding, and in order to save that much money, thousands of inmates would likely have to be released early.
San Diego CityBeat |
David Rolland |
08-05-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Little Kid, Life Sentencenew
Pennsylvania has more juvenile lifers than any other state in the union. This year the U.S. Supreme Court will make decisions that could completely change the existence of people such as Stacey Torrance, who has been in jail since he was 14.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Matt Stroud |
08-04-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Former Michael Jackson Producer Demands Investigation of DAnew
The Santa Barbara County district attorney and sheriff's department are being threatened with a lawsuit by Marc Schaffel, who claims that county officials leaked to the media confidential information they had obtained during the course of the pop star’s molestation trial in 2005.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Matt Kettmann |
08-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tasered Boise Man Files Brutality Claimnew
A man who alleges that Boise police shocked him with a Taser multiple times, even after three officers had subdued him, has sued the City of Boise for breaching his Fourth Amendment rights by unreasonable search and seizure and excessive use of force.
Boise Weekly |
Nathaniel Hoffman |
07-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Rethinking Juvenile Justice in California's East Baynew
Two local programs offer alternatives to the failing system. One of them transforms teenage offenders into attorneys. The other wants to change our notion of justice.
East Bay Express |
Sam Levin |
07-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice
A Rape Shines a Harsh Light on Life at Palm Beach's Oldest Country Clubnew
A small tear in the blue-blood fabric was all it took, and suddenly, the world was allowed a peek inside the Everglades Club's strange universe of racial tensions, religious discrimination, and illegal laborers. Soon, the old guard was forced to defend traditions that had gone unquestioned for decades. And no amount of money could make the problem disappear.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Lisa Rab |
07-28-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How LAPD's 'Closers' Nabbed A Serial Killer Known as The Westside Rapistnew
In a long-shot quest to find one prominent serial killer, police instead found another. Through tantalizing coincidences and teamwork that tapped the memories of long-retired cops, LAPD found the The Westside Rapist, a man who had slipped away from the cops in 1957 and went on to terrorize elderly women in Southern California for a generation.
L.A. Weekly |
Christine Pelisek |
07-24-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Mentally Ill are Most Likely to Get Tasered by Portland Policenew
A new Independent Police Review Division report finds that subjects with mental illness are now the most likely out of all groups to get Tasered by Portland cops -- even more than people who are actually armed or who assault an officer.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
07-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
