By Seth Augenstein . . . California voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative in November 2016 calling for criminal sentencing reform. The centerpiece of Proposition 57, a major initiative pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown, was to allow release of those convicted of “nonviolent felony offenses” after they had served their full prison terms. The catch: Prop 57 never defined what “nonviolent felony…
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By Sandy . . . This is good news of the very best kind, the kind that shows people actually living out what they profess to believe. For those who remember To Kill a Mockingbird, the character of attorney Atticus Finch embodies this characteristic. In the novel a family friend tells Atticus’ little daughter, when she complains that her father…
Read MoreEpisode 10 Is it better to do something versus nothing? Can you do more harm than good by a poorly thought out action than by sitting on the sidelines? That is the topic we’ll be covering tonight. Larry and Andy are discussing if there is some level of harm that can be done by taking action prematurely rather than waiting.…
Read MoreWho represents the victims? NARSOL, SOSEN, WAR and other organizations are fighting for those of us on the registry. Why are we fighting for the rights of those that have committed crimes? Our topic tonight is about protecting the victims. You have people who have committed heinous offenses. The victim may have to go through psychological treatment for years…
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By Steve Yoder . . . Baptist minister Glenn Burns calls the evening of April 7, 2016, the “crucifixion.” It was the toughest test of his 40-year career. Burns leads a Christian social services ministry in northern Florida called the Good Samaritan Network. Until last April, the nonprofit was headquartered in the town of Woodville, just outside Tallahassee. Its…
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By Eric Dexheimer . . . KJ grew up in Meadows Place, a 1-square-mile Houston bedroom community of modest 1970s and ’80s tree-shaded homes. In late 2007, she returned as a 33-year-old seeking to settle in a community she recalled warmly. “I have great memories of this place,” she said. KJ — she asked that her name not be used…
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NARSOL Communications . . . NARSOL denounces “Make Albuquerque Safe” for advocating residency restrictions when such laws are contradicted by research and empirical data. An entity calling itself “Make Albuquerque Safe” has attacked a mayoral candidate in Albuquerque because, in 2011, he voted for Senate Bill 184 that would have prohibited blanket residency restrictions for persons listed on a sexual offense…
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By Josh Gravens and Jennifer Long…. Mr. Weiner, … While you could teach me about being a politician, I can teach you about being a conscious citizen. You know all about being a policy maker; I can tell you the part that you don’t know: what it is like to be on the receiving end of bad policy, policy only looking…
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I came across an interesting report today. It is an analysis of sexual crimes committed in New York City over a ten-year period. I want to share some of the highlights with you. Although sex crimes receive more public attention than other types of crime, they represent only a small fraction of the sum total coming to the attention of…
Read MoreBy Larry . . . Now that Donald Trump has been elected president, what does that mean in terms of ongoing efforts to reform the criminal justice system and the Supreme Court? Will a Trump appointment to the Supreme Court vote to overturn Smith v Doe? The honest answer is that none of us know nor can the future be predicted…
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