criminal justice system – News Stories About criminal justice system - Page 2

Would-Be Juror:
Don't Pick Me, I'm
A Racist Homophobe

Sep 11, 2012 12:07 PM CDT

Would-Be Juror: Don't Pick Me, I'm A Racist Homophobe

Man admits serving would "be a serious injustice to the legal system"

(Newser) - Today's award for honesty goes to a would-be juror in Southampton, UK, by way of The Daily Echo . The man, whose name was withheld, wrote a letter to the Crown Court saying that he shouldn't be selected to serve on a dangerous driving case because he, in his...

How American Justice System Collapsed: Harvard Law Professor

How American Justice
Went Wrong

opinion

Sep 25, 2011 4:29 PM CDT

How American Justice Went Wrong

Lack of jury trials at heart of the problem: Harvard law prof

(Newser) - The American criminal justice system is collapsing, right? So says Harvard law professor William J. Stuntz in a new book excerpted in Salon . His evidence: a soaring prison population, high murder rates, and whites who avoid prison while blacks serve time. The problem: too much power in the hands of...

Let's Stop Naming
Rape Suspects

OPINION

Jul 27, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Let's Stop Naming Rape Suspects

Too many people get unjustly smeared: attorney Roy Black

(Newser) - Those who make rape accusations generally do so with anonymity. It's time to grant the same privilege to those being accused, argues attorney Roy Black in Salon . There's no justice in parading someone in public as if he were "nuclear waste" when he hasn't been convicted...

Innocent Man Free
After 35 Years

Dec 17, 2009 5:15 PM CST

Innocent Man Free After 35 Years

DNA evidence clears him of rape charges

(Newser) - James Bain left prison today after serving 35 years for a crime he didn’t commit. The 54-year-old Florida man, cleared by DNA evidence of the 1974 rape of a 9-year-old boy, appeared relieved as he left the courthouse after a judge signed the order vacating his conviction. A bit...

Recession Cuts Into
Prison Sentences

Jul 13, 2009 10:05 AM CDT

Recession Cuts Into Prison Sentences

States opt for cheaper routes to justice

(Newser) - With the recession squeezing their finances, many states are opting to cut the high costs surrounding incarceration—meaning fewer criminals are heading to jail and prison, and more are getting out earlier, the Washington Post reports. Some states are sending drug offenders and drunk drivers to special courts that allow...

Media Hijacks
Rihanna's
Right to
Privacy

OPINION

Feb 27, 2009 1:10 PM CST

Media Hijacks Rihanna's Right to Privacy

Decision to come forward should have been hers alone

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Times and other media outlets violated Rihanna’s privacy by publicizing her identity as a domestic-violence victim, Smita Satiani writes for the Huffington Post. Public desire for details, the need to know if Rihanna herself somehow brought it on, “stems from the ultimate denial that these...

Recession May Kill
Pricey Death Penalty

Feb 25, 2009 10:42 AM CST

Recession May Kill Pricey Death Penalty

Worried about legal costs, states consider abolition

(Newser) - Death and taxes may always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fiddle with them. Specifically, as the recession decreases tax revenue for states, some are considering abolishing the death penalty, which can cost millions. “And we can’t afford that, when there are better...

Greek Convicts Stage Daring Prison Break—Again

Feb 22, 2009 2:34 PM CST

Greek Convicts Stage Daring Prison Break—Again

Fugitives use helicopter to escape Athens facility, as they did in 2006

(Newser) - Two Greek criminals escaped the most secure prison in Athens for the second time, the BBC reports. Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizai fled the Korydallos prison after accomplices picked them up using a helicopter they landed on the building’s roof. The escape is similar to their 2006 breakout, when...

Iran Hangs 29 Convicts,
Calls Deaths Crime Deterrent

Jul 27, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

Iran Hangs 29 Convicts, Calls Deaths Crime Deterrent

Denies rights groups' charges of excessive use

(Newser) - Amid charges of excessive use, Iran hanged 29 convicts this morning in Tehran. The Iranian Supreme Court approved the death sentences, variously on charges of murder, rape, armed robbery, or drug trafficking, the BBC reports. Last year, the country carried out 317 executions, second only to China. Tehran, however, insists...

Record 2.3M Crowd US Prisons

Jun 12, 2008 5:46 AM CDT

Record 2.3M Crowd US Prisons

Federal report describes system in crisis

(Newser) - A record 7.2 million criminals were behind bars, on parole, or being supervised on probation in 2006—a figure that cost taxpayers $45 billion and has states rethinking sentencing laws and shipping inmates elsewhere, the Washington Post reports. Of that number, 2.3 million people were in jail or...