Former Death Row Inmate Free After Guilty Plea: After two retrials and 17 years in prison, Michael Mordenti pleaded guilty to two charges related to a 1989 murder-for-hire. Mordenti was sentenced to 25 years for murder and conspiracy but he was released due to old sentencing guidelines and time served. According to Valerie Kalfrin's Tampa Trib article, Mordenti's fourth trial was scheduled to begin August 4, 2008.

Ala. Criticized for Prosecuting Pregnant Drug Users: Exposing a child to illegal drugs is a crime in Alabama, but the law was initially intended to target people cooking crystal meth in a home with minor children. Now, prosecutors are creatively using the legislation to target women who use drugs while pregnant. The incarceration of those drug addicts who are pregnant or new moms is particularly drawing criticism from women's groups, according to Phillip Rawls's AP story.

TX Executes Killer for Gang Initiation Murder: Reuters reports Texas executed Larry Donnell Davis on Thursday night for the 1995 murder of Michael Barrow. Barrow was assaulted in his home by Davis and 4 accomplices as part of an apparent gang initiation. Davis and his accomplices beat Barrow with a lead pipe before stabbing him to death with a knife and an ice pick.

Convicted Sex Offender Strikes Again, Victim Only 16: Angel A. Perez Jr., a 32-year-old convicted sex offender, failed to register his new address with police. He also had several outstanding warrants for larceny, which would have qualified him for diversion programs for "nonviolent" offenders. Now, he's charged with raping a 16-year-old girl in a park near her home, an ordeal that lasted for around an hour, according to Brian Fraga's story for the Standard-Times. Repeat offenders are just that, and the only way to protect society from them is for them to be incarcerated for increasingly longer periods of time.

CA Drug Raids Net 21 Arrests, $5.6m in Marijuana: A four-month investigation culminated in a drug raid spanning 5 counties in California. Police seized 1700 marijuana plants worth an estimated $5.5m, processed marijuana worth $102,000, firearms, and $10,000 in cash. David Richie of the Sac Bee reports that all of the arrestees are illegal immigrants.