AltWeeklies Wire
Paul House is Being Retried for a Murder that DNA Says He Didn't Commitnew
Rather than acknowledge defeat -- never mind admitting error -- the very same prosecutor who tried House for capital murder 23 years ago announced he was going to take one more shot at convicting the ailing man for murder. But this time, he'd have to come up with a different motive, given that the theory he argued the first time -- that House killed to cover up rape -- had been shredded by the emergence of scientific evidence.
Nashville Scene |
Sarah Kelley |
06-27-2008 |
Crime & Justice
'Stop-Snitching' is More Complicated than You Might Thinknew
The mainstream media is generally the last to know, and by the time it catches on, the trend it's highlighting ceases to be a trend. So it is with the stop-snitching movement. But the culture of snitching and the incipient rise of its anti-snitching counterpart are deadly matters.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Damon Hodge |
06-27-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Banning Sex Offenders from West Haven's Public Places Won't Keep Kids Safenew
There are 57 registered sex offenders living in West Haven, and the City Council is trying to ban all of them from its beaches, parks, sports facilities and swimming pools in order, they say, to protect the children. The idea comes riddled with questions about constitutionality, enforceability and its real effect on the safety of children.
New Haven Advocate |
Rachel Slajda |
06-24-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Locked Down: What It's Really Like Inside Philly's Overcrowded Prisonsnew
The city's prisons woefully overpopulated and have been for several decades. Efforts to fix this problem have come up against the seemingly immutable fact that, on an average day, 108 people enter the six-prison system while only 105 leave it.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Tom Namako |
06-24-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The Said Girls Made One Deadly Misstep: They Fell in Lovenew
News that a Muslim father had been accused of murdering two beautiful daughters because he disapproved of their boyfriends triggered an instantaneous and predictable reaction from non-Muslims: It had to be an "Islamic" honor killing. The truth is more complex.
Dallas Observer |
Glenna Whitley |
06-23-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Private Jailer CCA Faces Heightened Scrutiny After a Year of Heinous Controversiesnew
Since its inception in 1983, CCA has become accustomed to criticism, but it is now mired in a series of scandals, embarrassments and public-relations catastrophes that may tar its reputation for years to come.
Nashville Scene |
Matt Pulle |
06-20-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Lethal Rejection: Karl Chamberlain's Execution is Overnew
On Feb. 21, Karl Chamberlain received a rare greeting card from his half-sister, Liberty Chamberlain: "Happy Death Day," it read. "Glad you're still with us." Chamberlain, the first to receive an execution date once Texas reopened the execution chamber after a Supreme Court ruling, was executed by lethal injection on June 11.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
06-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
There's No Evidence That Shows Popular Youth Curfew Laws Worknew
San Diego’s juvenile curfew law was enacted as a way to cut down on gang violence, and by that standard, it has failed. After 11 years and thousands of curfew citations and arrests since the law took effect, gang-related crimes are up 23 percent this year over last, and gang-related homicides increased 61 percent during that same period.
San Diego CityBeat |
David Silva |
06-18-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Were DeShawn and Marvin Reed Wrongfully Convicted?new
A paralyzed shooting victim first identified the two accused assailants now in prison in the blink of an eye. Now he's having second thoughts.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
06-10-2008 |
Crime & Justice
InfraGard, the Justice Department's Secret Teamnew
InfraGard has chapters for each of the FBI's 56 field offices and more than 23,000 civilian members who transmit information from the private sector to the FBI.
Artvoice |
Grady Hawkins |
06-06-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Lawyer Makes Dirty Debt Collectors Paynew
Pete Barry goes after those "who live off the misery of others" and wins millions in damages.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Jonathan Caminsky |
06-04-2008 |
Crime & Justice
What Happens to the Mentally Ill in the Justice System is Just Crazynew
In Colorado, gaping holes in the so-called safety net have made police, courts and emergency rooms the first and last line of contact with people who may be a danger to themselves or others. Too often, the care they receive is perfunctory -- a 72-hour crisis hold, a few pills, a referral to a mental-health center -- with little or no followup.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
06-02-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Another Dubious Death at a Downtown Seattle Jailnew
Details of the incident, based on public records and interviews, fit into a three-year pattern of preventable deaths at the King County Jail.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
06-02-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: death, prisons, Seattle, jails, inmates, crime & justice, King County Jail, preventable deaths
In the Yearning for Zion Case, Fear & Prejudice is Trumping Rule of Lawnew
Texas' argument all along has essentially been that because YFZ's residents have not been forthcoming about their familial relationships and identities, this case is really, really hard, and the court needs to overlook some of the judicial safeguards that protect conventional and weird families alike who aren't doing anything illegal.
San Antonio Current |
Elaine Wolff |
05-28-2008 |
Crime & Justice
In San Francisco's Projects, Truth Comes at a Pricenew
Deanna Johnson testified against a murderer to save her son, breaking the most fundamental law of the projects: Don't snitch.
SF Weekly |
Ashley Harrell |
05-23-2008 |
Crime & Justice
