Drug Sniffing Dogs and 18th Century Justice
By Caleb Mason
By applying 18th century common law to modern law-enforcement investigative techniques, the Supreme Court has dramatically expanded the scope of Fourth Amendment civil liberties.
Viewpoints
Re-Thinking Bail
By Robin L. Barton
It might have seemed odd to Americans that so many details were revealed during South African track star Oscar Pistorius' bail hearings, but that's because in America the pre-trial decision to lock someone up is often a casual one.
Time For Sentencing Reform
By George Gascón
Right now, the U.S. puts more people in prison and jails than any other nation in the world. The costs associated with incarceration are staggering. California alone spends more than $9 billion per year on prisons. Despite all of these costs—economic, social, and systemic—the rate of people returning to a life of crime even after serving time remains all too high, with almost 65 percent of California's prison inmates re-offending after being released.
When Justice is Mocked
By Mansfield Frazier
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s remarks in a drug case recently heard before the Court illustrate the inner-workings — and failings — of our federal criminal justice system.
After Newtown: Empathy for the ‘Monsters’ Among Us?
By Walter Rush
In the aftermath of the Newtown CT tragedy, we seem to be so busy trying to protect ourselves that we have forgotten about the people who are sick. Rather than trying to understand those among us who suffer from or will develop a mental illness, we are moving swiftly to take away rights.
We will achieve more if we can adopt an empathic and compassionate understanding of people with mental illness in order to help them and, in so doing, to help us all.
How New York City Really Reduced Mass Incarceration
By Kara Dansky and Glenn E. Martin
While the NYPD reduced arrests for nonviolent felonies, it started arresting more people for nonviolent misdemeanors. Some, including representatives of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, have suggested that the report should be read as an endorsement of this “broken windows theory” as a strategy for reducing mass incarceration.
Is Being a Prosecutor a Dangerous Job?
By Robin L. Barton
Murdering an assistant district attorney is illogical. There’s a whole office full of other prosecutors who can take over any case should a colleague be killed. It’s not like killing a witness, which could effectively end a case. But after the recent murder of a prosecutor in Texas, I started to wonder if perhaps working in a district attorney’s office was more dangerous than I thought.
Gun Violence and the 'Tincture of Time'
By Erik Roskes
In many cases, waiting is the most appropriate intervention. While patients often view this as “doing nothing,” in fact it is a form of active observation that in many cases is the best initial option. At times, the illness is self-limited; in other cases, such as my relative’s earache, waiting is necessary to make the correct diagnosis.
People, especially those who are suffering, often do not want to wait, to study, to think about what interventions should be implemented based on a full understanding of a problem.
This is my response to the urgency in the wake of Newtown.
Stop the Violence, But Curb the Rhetoric
By Harold Trulear
In a nation increasingly alarmed by violence, we need less violent and more humanizing language in our debates, discussions and disagreements. We do not show our "better angels" when we advance attack ads, slander character and seek to destroy opponents.
How Prosecutorial Discretion Furthers Justice
By Robin L. Barton
The researchers came to several conclusions. They found that prosecutors’ relationships with various players in the system, including police, defense attorneys and judges, can influence how they handle cases. They suggested this influence is a bad thing, arguing that these relationships may force prosecutors “to make decisions that they might not consider ideal.” But I disagree. I think that, at least in some cases, such relationships can result in fairer and more appropriate outcomes.
TCR at a Glance
No Bumper Sticker Solution for the Drug Abuse Scourge
May 24, 2013
But drug czar Gil Kerlikowske says the nation's anti-drug policy is shifting gradually towards treating addiction as a public health chal...
Obama Outlines Future of American Counter-Terrorism
May 23, 2013
In a speech this afternoon, President Barack Obama defended drone strikes and announced a narrowed focus in America's fight against terro...
America's 'War on Drugs' Proving Costly to Argentine Women
new & notable May 23, 2013
Pressure from the U.S. to crack down on drug crime has led to skyrocketing prison rates for low-level offenders in the South American cou...
California "Realignment" Pushes National Jail Population Up
May 22, 2013
Number of US jail inmates rises after 3 years of decline
Is the Media Under-Reporting Sex Crimes in the Military?
May 21, 2013
The press has done an admirable job covering a Department of Defense report on sexual assault in the military. But how good of a job has ...
Re-Abuse Common for Teens Who Seek Orders of Protection
new & notable May 20, 2013
Researchers who studied 1,200 incidents of dating violence in New York found brief Orders of Protection and repeat abuse
Guns and the Media
May 17, 2013
A conference on gun violence raised questions about whether journalists are focusing on the wrong things