When you have a conviction on your record, it can have untold consequences for the rest of your life. In particular, a conviction can make it difficult to find a good job. Fortunately, there are programs out there specifically targeted at ex-offenders and that assist people in getting back into the workforce after a period of incarceration. [Read more…]
DNA Evidence That Proves Innocence Is Not Always Available for Defendants
Imagine a man was wrongfully convicted of a serious crime. Imagine there was evidence that could prove his innocence. One would think, in the system where due process is given so much lip-service, that the wrongfully convicted man would have clear and easy access to this evidence. But in the case of DNA, one would likely be wrong. [Read more…]
Why We Don’t Hear of Police Shooting Statistics
There’s a reason we don’t know for certain if shootings of civilians by law enforcement are up or down, why we don’t know how many of such shootings are truly justified, or how much of a percentage of the total police killings are actually heard about on the evening news. That reason: no one is tracking it. And that is a serious problem. [Read more…]
FBI’s Hair Analysis Crime Lab Under Review
In July, the Department of Justice announced there would be a nationwide review of FBI hair analysis practices, including more than 21,000 cases that were handled before 2000. The review would focus on whether FBI lab analysts gave misleading or downright inaccurate testimony regarding their work. But the review isn’t big enough, says a recent article in the Washington Post, pointing out that these very same analysts trained thousands of state and local crime lab workers using the same flawed scientific justifications. [Read more…]
The Problem with Eyewitness Identifications
If you were to witness a crime, would you remember what the suspect looked like, how they were dressed, or what they said? Many people believe they could be trusted to “finger” the bad guy. But, many would be wrong. Eyewitness identification is the leading contributing factor to wrongful convictions in the United States. More people are wrongfully convicted on the basis of a flawed eyewitness id than are by mishandled evidence, for example.
The flaws of eyewitness identification are widely known. Just this week, one state took a major step to reduce the likelihood that such an identification would incarcerate another innocent person. [Read more…]
Do Police Need A Warrant to Search Emails, Cellphone Records, Text Messages?
It would be nice if there was one simple answer to the above question—if we could get a consensus on when a warrant was needed to infringe on the privacy of citizens. But the “courts are all over the place” as Hanni Fakhoury with the Electronic Frontier Foundation says. One state may say a warrant is needed for any cell phone infringement, while others say text messages and emails are fair game. So, how can we make sense of this jumbled mess of court rulings? [Read more…]
Court Affirms Your Right to Film Police in Illinois
The U.S. Supreme Court sent a message this week when they declined to hear an appeal overturning an Illinois law that made it a felony to record police officers. The appeals court decision against the law will stand, therefore your right to record police officers in Illinois is safe, for now.
Prosecutors in the state were hoping the Court would hear arguments over the controversial law, settling its legality once and for all. Instead, the Court’s decision not to hear it means they believe the Appeals Court ruling again the law should stand. [Read more…]
More Police Required to Wear Body Armor, Look Like Soldiers
The federal government has threatened local and state police agencies: we will take your funding if you do not mandate body armor for your officers. And the threat seems to be working. According to a new Justice Department study, more than 90% of officers say their department has a mandatory body armor policy. [Read more…]
Police Mugshots are Big Business Online
There are many consequences to an arrest. In some towns, you get your mugshot in the paper or on a local news site. But a growing business is ensuring that your mugshot is permanently online in a searchable database—only to be removed after you pay a hefty fee. [Read more…]
Texting While Driving Bans INCREASE Accidents
To hear lawmakers tell it, bans on texting while driving are enacted to keep roads safe, to decrease accidents, and help people focus on the road. But, while road safety is the rallying call to getting these laws passed, they may have unintended consequences—namely, they may actually increase accidents. [Read more…]
