[theatlantic.com – 11/21/18] For more than a decade, the criminal-defense attorney Scott H. Greenfield has been writing about American law and culture at Simple Justice. Among the site’s readers are lawyers, law professors, judges, civil libertarians, and advocates of criminal-justice reform. What keeps me coming back is his zealous advocacy for a consistent set of principles no matter how unpopular their application might be in a given instance. Whether I agree or strongly disagree with where he comes down on a given matter, I can count on his steadfast commitment…
Read MoreTag: Legal
What Rape Reform Needs: More Convictions, Less Punishment [opinion]
[thecrimereport.org] In what is being called the “Post-Weinstein era,” victims of sexual assault and harassment are finally being believed. This no doubt is overdue, but in the context of rape, believing the victim will not be enough. Three reforms are essential to how we convict and punish rapists. First, the way states currently define the crime of rape does not target the conduct of unwanted sex. In the United States, rape was initially defined by unwanted sex accompanied by an element of force. The proof of force was and continues…
Read MoreTX: Jefferson Co. D.A.: Zero tolerance for sex offenders
[KFDM.com] Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham tells KFDM News that his office has zero tolerance for sex offenders and will not support a sentence of probation for anyone convicted of a sex offense. Wortham said the holiday season is a time when sex crimes often increase. He says 90 percent of the offenders know their victims. In fact, he said, of the 150 cases set for trial in Jefferson County, all but one are cases in which the offender knows the victim. Wortham urges parents to talk with their…
Read MoreCA: Recall effort for Brock Turner judge gaining momentum
[ABC 10] The campaign to recall the judge who sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman appears to be gaining momentum. Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, who’s behind the effort to recall Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky, told ABC10 that they now have more than 70,000 petition signatures. “When Judge Persky gave Brock Turner only six months in jail for three felony sex crimes, he gave Turner the same kind of privilege that Harvey Weinstein and others have received…
Read MoreCalifornia Registrant’s Bill of Rights
CALIFORNIA REGISTRANTS’ BILL OF RIGHTS – October 2015 U.S. Constitution Freedom of Speech, Right to Assemble, Petition Government (1st Amendment) Freedom from Unreasonable Searches and Seizures (4th Amendment) Freedoms of Life, Liberty, Property, Due Process and Equal Protection (14th Amendment) California Constitution Total of 31 Articles enumerating rights (Section 1) Includes freedom to fish in public waters (Section 1, Article 25) CA Penal Code §290.46, Subsection L (2) Except as authorized under paragraph (1) or any other provision of law, use of any information that is disclosed pursuant to this…
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