Legal Rights for Detainees a Tool for Terrorists?: In her op-ed for the WSJ, Debra Burlingame illustrates the likely repercussions of traditional trials for Guantanamo detainees, particularly emphasizing the risk to Americans if other countries refuse to accept prisoner transfers. The account of a former detainee's recent martyrdom and his poem about imprisoning "Miranda" are particularly chilling.

San Quentin Death Row Costs Soar: According to Matthew Yi's SF Chronicle article, the state auditor now estimates the cost of expanding San Quentin's Death Row will exceed original estimates by at least $40 million, and the addition could run out of space within a few years of its completion. Criminal justice advocates argue that the state should consider housing death row inmates in other prisons throughout the state so that San Quentin would not require continuous expansion.

Decriminalization of Marijuana Use?: Despite the fact that the both the Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy argue that marijuana is dangerous and lacks any accepted medical use, members of Congress have introduced a proposal to legalize personal use of marijuana. The proposal would treat marijuana much the same as alcohol. According to CNN's report, the proposal would not affect current laws prohibiting on growing, importing, or exporting marijuana and selling for a profit would still be illegal.