Tag: crime
Expressed as a position on a continuum from dystopia to utopia: Where YOU at?
pO157.
Posted to Politics on Thu Nov 27, 2008 at 08:16:25 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Police departments and government officials either heralded or hated on on a recent report by the independent CQ press this week ranking crime in about 400 metropolitan areas nationwide (pdf) with populations above 75,000.
(8 comments, 424 words in story) Full Story
In Texas, Habeas Corpus Means We Hold The Prisoner Until We Say So.
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 09:51:21 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Raul Meza's life is not what you might call a success story. Starting out as a violent criminal at the age of 15 and sexually molesting and murdering an eight-year-old girl along the way, Meza is not a particularly sympathetic character. But, for all of the 48-year-old Meza's transgressions, he says he's done all the prison time required by the law and he wants a bit of freedom. The state of Texas disagrees and has held him past his parole date at a minimum security prison in Travis County, Texas since 2002. They say they'll be glad to release him once he finds a job and a place to stay. Meza claims the terms the state has placed on him essentially means he'll never get released. Meza is in court this week trying to get a federal judge to do what Texas state authorities are unwilling to do.
(4 comments, 678 words in story) Full Story
The Juice is Loose Juiced
delete me.
Posted to Legal on Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 10:59:03 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Thirteen years later, Orenthal James Simpson has been found guilty of a major crime. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boyfriend Ron Goldman, and was found liable for damages in a 1997 civil court case. Found guilty on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, Mr. Simpson's prosecution had a few bumps what with trouble seating jurors and the victims either contradicting themselves or turning against the prosecution.
(38 comments, 176 words in story) Full Story
Does Crime Pay?
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 08:59:02 PM EST (promoted by DEMachina). RSS.
How would you feel if you were victimized by someone and then told you had to pay your victimizer? Outraged, perplexed, and confused - all of these things describe Mark Poveromo. The Connecticut pet store owner was cheated by an unscrupulous contractor and used the courts to prosecute the crook and make things right for himself. However, because the contractor filed for bankruptcy, Poveromo now finds himself behind the eight ball. Poveromo must pay back the contractor what he recovered and he must also pay the contractor's legal fees.
(16 comments, 511 words in story) Full Story
To Sort Of Serve And To Kind Of Protect
MayorBob.
Posted to Etcetera on Sun Sep 21, 2008 at 09:22:59 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
When it comes to crime, the public expects a certain level of service from its police department. They expect them to respond to complaints, secure evidence, investigate and hopefully arrest the bad guys. It's an added bonus if they can respond while the crime is still taking place, but there's no guarantee that will happen. What would you say if you had a city where the crime rate seems to be going up and, while the police still respond, it turns out they take a lackadaisical approach to the rest of what the public expects them to do? Well, if you live in Chicago, you have that dilemma where the public is feeling distinctly ill-served by the police.
(11 comments, 566 words in story) Full Story
Texas Judge's Probation Condition Is Definitely Not Pro-Baby
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 06:47:07 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
By all accounts, Felicia Salazar failed a critical test of being a mother - protecting your children from harm. The Travis County, Texas woman admitted she didn't intervene while the father of her 19-month-old daughter brutally beat the child. Never in trouble with the law before, she cut a deal with the court that got her probation rather than prison time. But, should the judge in the case be able add that Salazar can have no children during her probation? That's the question troubling some who think the judge overstepped his bounds.
(3 comments, 519 words in story) Full Story
No See, No Indecent Exposure
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 08:47:31 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
This case is similar to a tree falling in the woods with nobody around type of case. With that the pertinent question is did the tree make a sound if nobody heard it? The question presented by Ronny Isaac of Des Moines, Iowa revolves around whether, if nobody actually saw Mr. Isaac's penis while he was publicly masturbating, was he guilty of indecent exposure? A trial court and an appellate court both said yes. Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court said no.
(13 comments, 736 words in story) Full Story
Is It Time To Take A Serious Look At Alternatives To Prison?
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 01:27:29 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Fact - in terms of numbers and proportion of total population, the US is number one in the world in incarcerating its citizens. With the advent of three strike laws, mandatory minimum sentences, extra special punishment for sex offenders and, especially, the increase in drug offenses, the numbers keep climbing year after year. With something like a 30% increase in total prison population over the past seven years, something has to give. Now, the 800 lb gorilla of federal sentencing guidelines is about to step in with what they hope is a solution.
(63 comments, 489 words in story) Full Story
I Need Your Surgical Help Like I Need A Hole In The Head
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 01:36:00 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
The police ought to have the right to search for evidence as long as they have a properly executed search warrant. All of which is fine when the evidence is all around you. But, what about if the evidence they're looking for is inside of you? Does the state have a right to have surgery performed on you to get at the evidence they say they need -- even if the surgery doesn't present a threat to your life? A case in Texas presents the opportunity to discuss.
(5 comments, 759 words in story) Full Story
The Man Everyone Forgot.
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Wed Sep 03, 2008 at 12:48:18 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Joseph Shepard could be a candidate for poster child for the Sixth Amendment Society, should such a society ever be formed. He's been sitting in a jail cell in Jennings, Missouri waiting to have his drug case resolved in court. He's been waiting for almost two years, most of it spent in his cell 23 hours out of each 24 hour day. He's been forgotten by the system.
(2 comments, 457 words in story) Full Story
Haunted By Perversity: Grammar Nazis Befoul National Historic Landmark
MayorBob.
Posted to Etcetera on Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 02:14:17 PM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.
Anyone who's spent any time on the internet knows the world is made up of three types of people. The first two types are those who use proper grammar in expressing themselves and those who don't. The third type is commonly referred to as a Grammar Nazi. Drifting from chat rooms to discussion sites, they jump all over misspellings, faulty diction, or violations of basic rules of grammar. Many people are less than appreciative of the Grammar Nazi's attention, hence the name. But, some people appreciate that Grammar Nazis sometimes are right and have their place. The New York Times gives their in-house Grammar Nazi a podium from which to operate.
(25 comments, 470 words in story) Full Story
Penny Ante Crime
MayorBob.
Posted to Legal on Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 06:47:04 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
Laslo Mujzer of Bonita Springs, Florida may soon be clogging up the docket of a courtroom in Florida. The 43-year-old man is charged with petty theft under (US)$100, a misdemeanor. Make that charge way under $100 because what Mujzer is charged with is stealing a whopping 42 cents out of a shopping mall fountain.
(13 comments, 347 words in story) Full Story
