Three years ago I wrote about the problem of “procedural justice.” If you’ve misplaced your copy of William Stuntz’s The Collapse of American Criminal Justice, just read Leon Neyfakh’s review in the Boston Globe. Procedural justice still matters because the Presidential Report places emphasis on it: “Police and sheriffs’ departments should adopt procedural justice as the guiding principle for internal…
Month: March 2015
“13 Years in the Slammer … for Two Joints?”
I’m generally quick to point out that there aren’t too many people doing long time for small scale drug possession. (Usually this in the context of pointing out that drug decriminalization will not empty our prisons.) But it does happen. And it shouldn’t happen. Ever. How is anyone in prison for 13 years for possessing two joints? It’s possible if…
DOJ: The Whole Damn System is Guilty!
[My other posts on the DOJ reports, 1 & 3.] The DOJ’s report of Ferguson isn’t just about police or just about race. A large part of the report — to me the more disturbing part — is about a whole system of government using the criminal justice system as a tool to legally steal from its residents. It’s feudal,…
DOJ: Blaming the Cops
[My other posts on the DOJ reports, 1 & 2.] I have read (most of) the incredibly damning DOJ’s report on the Ferguson P.D. I tried to read it a bit as Thomas Jefferson edited the Bible. Thomas Jefferson thought that even if Jesus isn’t the son of God, even if there are no supernatural events, there’s still something good…
DOJ on Michael Brown Shooting: Justified
So many reports. So little time. [My other two posts on the DOJ reports: 2 & 3.] First the easy one: the DOJ report on Darren Wilson shooting Michael Brown. The press seems more interested in the other DOJ report, the one that reams the whole criminal justice system in Ferguson a new one (more on that, later). But what…
“Frozen Wieners”
I know there’s probably more important police stuff to write about, but I can’t stand when cops get in the jackpot for joking. A NJ cops is getting heat for making jokes about a dead dog. It’s in the Daily News. It shouldn’t be. The only story is about an idiot, Andrew Mayer, who “was spinning doughnuts on the frozen…
President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (1)
Here are the “recommendations” and “action items” from the Interim Report. (I guess the “action items” are how to go about achieving the “recommendations”? I’m not sure.) I’ve removed all the other text and explanations. Just trying to boil this down to its essence. The whole report is here. Once I digest this I’ll have a few things to say.…
The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing
It’s out. You can download the 115 page PDF here. I haven’t read it yet. I’d be happy to hear any comments from those have about what in it is relevant/important/surprising.
If only our cities were more like Amsterdam!
This comes from the The Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Initiative 71 became law today, legalizing marijuana in Washington, D.C. under certain circumstances. Mayor Muriel Bowser said this week that the District will not become “like Amsterdam,” as though being “like Amsterdam” would be a bad thing. City Hall even refers to Amsterdam in their official Q&A. To give the…
Policing in California, post Prop. 47
Being in NYC, I miss a lot of what happens west of the Mississippi (and sometimes even west of the Hudson). So I haven’t really been following California’s Proposition 47. Recently I posted about a minor increase in property crime in LA, which was both news to me and made intuitive sense. Sure, it sounds logical to focus law enforcement…