The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/viewpoints/)
The use of involuntary commitment for drug addiction is expanding across the country, as desperate families seek help for their loved ones. But it is likely to make things worse.
A case pending at the Supreme Court could decide whether constitutional protections against warrantless searches prevent courts and law enforcement from using evidence discovered from cellphone records. A former NYC prosecutor contends that the justices should hear arguments.
Some countries have “Good Samaritan” laws in place that penalize individuals who fail to provide assistance to strangers in trouble, and at least one state—Minnesota—has a similar statute. Our legal affairs columnist wonders whether such laws are practical, and enforceable.
The South American nation last month became the first in the world to legalize the production and sale of recreational marijuana. But a Uruguayan writer says some of his compatriots, including the president, are still skeptical.
Rap music isn’t the only musical genre that employs violent or misogynist lyrics, but it’s uniquely presented as evidence for criminal intent or confession in trials. The co-author of a study on the practice warns that it invariably—and unfairly—creates jury bias.
Some analysts are pushing for armed U.S. intervention in Mexico’s battle with drug traffickers to curb the opioid epidemic. But a security expert warns it would undercut more sensible strategies of decriminalization and treatment—and cost more lives.
A recent California Supreme Court ruling turned down an appeal by inmates who claimed the state’s reforms to the three-strike laws under Proposition 47 entitled them to reduced sentences. The president of the LA Deputy DA’s association argues that was a needed corrective to a prisoner realignment strategy that was oversold to the public.
Many wrongful convictions are based on forensic testimony and science later exposed as flawed. A California statute this year laid out the terms for granting relief to defendants challenging ‘expert’ evidence—but striking the right balance between evolving scientific research and trial pressures remains a challenge, says a UC law professor.
Modern policing has become mired in community distrust and overwhelmed by technology. A back-to-basics idea called National Coffee with a Cop Day might help break through the barriers, says a former chief.
An inmate contemplating release comes to terms with the fact that the realities of life on the “outside” mean that for most returning prisoners, the American Dream has already been foreclosed.