AltWeeklies Wire
The Texas Criminal Justice System is Embracing 'The Life Penalty'new
In the execution capital of the free world, death sentences have declined dramatically, thanks in part to the institution of life-without-parole sentences in 2005.
The Texas Observer |
John Moritz |
12-03-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The Snowboard Bandits Lived for Excitement, but the FBI Got the Final Thrillnew
Over three months, the Bandits hit eleven banks in Colorado, leaving in their wake empty cash drawers, dazed tellers and surveillance films filled with curiously chic and frustratingly concealing get-ups. The case was quickly handed over to an outfit more likely than any other to catch the Snowboard Bandits: the FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force.
Westword |
Joel Warner |
11-25-2008 |
Crime & Justice
A Stripper, a Mobster, and a Murder (Yep, That's Miami...)new
Jeanette Smith was sodomized, strangled, and tossed into the Everglades.
Miami New Times |
Natalie O'Neill |
11-25-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Philly Fashion Designer Melanie Brandon Turns Guns into Things of Beautynew
Brandon wondered what she could do about such a large and formidable problem as citywide gun violence. She was just a fashion designer, after all. Then it struck her: Take the guns out of circulation. Melt them down. Turn them into jewelry.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Makia Harper |
11-25-2008 |
Fashion
Judgment Day: Anand Jon Trial Concludesnew
Designer found guilty of 14 felonies and two misdemeanors against seven of the nine women, including one forcible-rape charge and multiple counts of lewd acts upon a child, and faces life in prison.
L.A. Weekly |
Steven Mikulan |
11-21-2008 |
Crime & Justice
San Diego Nonprofit Coalition Helps Parolees Avoid Returning to Prisonnew
Called "Coming Home to Stay," the program touches on every possible aspect of a returning prisoner's life -- what it takes, step-by-step, to help someone successfully transition from prison to the outside world, from pre-release to post-release to several years out.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
11-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Like a Virgin? How Cops Pose as Kids to Catch Internet Pervsnew
Internet sex crimes, I was told, are like crack was in the '80s: unknown and ready to explode. So the first thing I ask Lieutenant Greg Jenkins, head of the Albemarle PD Investigative Division, is, why is all this internet sex stuff such a big deal?
C-Ville Weekly |
J. Tobias Beard |
11-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Lt. Col. Stephen Abraham: We All Share Blame for Guantanamonew
What really matters now regarding the Cuba-based U.S. detention center, according to a former military attorney who was part of the tribunals there, is simple: The American people could've prevented it and changed it.
Metro Times |
Staff |
11-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Election '08: The Can't Votersnew
Millions of people who will be greatly affected by the outcome of next week's election, but won't be able to cast a vote in it. And yet, some of these same people -- those who don't meet citizenship requirements, the incarcerated and the underaged -- are more invested in the political process than many eligible Americans.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Tom Namako |
10-30-2008 |
Politics
No Second Chances for These Locked-Up Kidsnew
Why does Pennsylvania lead the nation in juvenile lifers?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Jamaal Abdul-Alim |
09-29-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Gangsters Thriving in Bacliff, Texasnew
The unincorporated town is up to its elbows in youth gangs, poverty and crime.
Houston Press |
John Nova Lomax |
09-16-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Hart v. Arpaio Civil Rights Class-Action Suit Awaits Verdictnew
Of the more than 2,500 jail-related lawsuits filed against Arpaio, Hart v. Arpaio may be the most crucial because it addresses the civil rights of all inmates awaiting trial. It has the potential to affect conditions in Arpaio's jail.
Phoenix New Times |
John Dickerson |
09-16-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Was Juan Mendoza Farias Beaten to Death by Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Guards?new
On Dec. 2, 2007, a 40-year-old man named Juan Mendoza Farias was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail for a DUI-related offense, a probation violation. Farias wound up with a death sentence.
Phoenix New Times |
John Dickerson |
09-16-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Lilly Aramburo is One of 5,000 People a Year Reported Missing in Miami-Dade Countynew
Her disappearance and the intense efforts of bloggers to find her speak volumes about new ways of tracking down the missing in the internet age. It also suggests police indifference to such cases when they involve the less fortunate or drug addicted.
Miami New Times |
Francisco Alvarado |
09-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Wheels of Justice in Dallas County Public Defender's Office Grind Up a Few Lawyersnew
Lawyer Mike Howard, one of five felony attorneys who have left the office in the last month, says an overburdened caseload drove him out.
Dallas Observer |
Jesse Hyde |
09-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
