Enforcing Probation. The fatal shooting of a Chicago police officer was preventable, argues Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass. The accused shooter, Shaun Gaston, a member of a local gang, violated his probation for the third time weeks before the shooting. He was "accused of another probation violation on a felony gun charge." The Cook County Circuit judge, Bertina Lampkin, could have sent Gaston to jail after the third violation. A co-worker of the victim commented that local government agents "just don't take gun cases seriously." In the past, limited jail space precluded incarceration of probation violators. Now, according to FOP President Mark Donohue, space is not an issue. "There's plenty of bed space, and for the judiciary to feel they still
need to release these predators back out on the street, there has to be
an explanation."
Domestic Violence. "An ex-sheriff's deputy who was exonerated last week in the stabbing death of her lover in self-defense says, domestic violence advocacy groups abandoned her in her time of need," according to this story by KEYT in Santa Barbara. The story says the woman was repeatedly denied aid from domestic abuse advocacy groups, her employer and her colleagues, in part because she was a police officer.
Death Penalty Saves Lives. Eric Zahnd, Prosecuting Attorney for Platte County, Missouri, has this op-ed in the Kansas City Star discussing deterrence and the death penalty. He bases his argument on the Dezhbakhsh, Rubin, and Shepherd study published in the American Law and Economics Review. (See CJLF's collection of abstracts.) In the study, researchers collected information spanning over the past 20 years from over 3,000 counties. After analyzing the data, researchers concluded that "each execution results in 18 fewer murders." In his editorial, Zahnd also supports the death penalty because prosecutors only pursue the death penalty in extreme cases and errors made during trial are corrected during the appeals process.
Sex Offender Commitment. A sex offender law in New York is currently being reconsidered by legislators. Michael Gormley, an Associated Press writer, reports in this story that the law allows sex offenders to remain civilly confined and/or monitored after being released from prison. The law is intended to act as a safety net by keeping the most dangerous sex offenders from being released.. Two men, who are considered to be some of the "most dangerous" sex offenders, were released under this law. Shortly after being released, both allegedly committed rape and one shot a police officer and then killed himself. Legislators are currently studying the effects of the law to see if the law makes it too easy for offenders to be released.
Automatic Arrest Warrants. The Illinois Legislature has passed a bill under which "parolees accused of domestic violence would be automatically arrested for violating their parole," Angela Rozas of the Chicago Tribune reports in this story. Under the current law, parolees are arrested if they have been ordered to register as sex offenders and fail to do so or if they commit "felonies with a knife or firearm." With all other cases the court has the discretion to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant. This bill would not only require the automatic arrests of domestic abusers on parole, but also increase the mandatory supervised release term from 2 years to 4 years.
Domestic Violence. "An ex-sheriff's deputy who was exonerated last week in the stabbing death of her lover in self-defense says, domestic violence advocacy groups abandoned her in her time of need," according to this story by KEYT in Santa Barbara. The story says the woman was repeatedly denied aid from domestic abuse advocacy groups, her employer and her colleagues, in part because she was a police officer.
Death Penalty Saves Lives. Eric Zahnd, Prosecuting Attorney for Platte County, Missouri, has this op-ed in the Kansas City Star discussing deterrence and the death penalty. He bases his argument on the Dezhbakhsh, Rubin, and Shepherd study published in the American Law and Economics Review. (See CJLF's collection of abstracts.) In the study, researchers collected information spanning over the past 20 years from over 3,000 counties. After analyzing the data, researchers concluded that "each execution results in 18 fewer murders." In his editorial, Zahnd also supports the death penalty because prosecutors only pursue the death penalty in extreme cases and errors made during trial are corrected during the appeals process.
Sex Offender Commitment. A sex offender law in New York is currently being reconsidered by legislators. Michael Gormley, an Associated Press writer, reports in this story that the law allows sex offenders to remain civilly confined and/or monitored after being released from prison. The law is intended to act as a safety net by keeping the most dangerous sex offenders from being released.. Two men, who are considered to be some of the "most dangerous" sex offenders, were released under this law. Shortly after being released, both allegedly committed rape and one shot a police officer and then killed himself. Legislators are currently studying the effects of the law to see if the law makes it too easy for offenders to be released.
Automatic Arrest Warrants. The Illinois Legislature has passed a bill under which "parolees accused of domestic violence would be automatically arrested for violating their parole," Angela Rozas of the Chicago Tribune reports in this story. Under the current law, parolees are arrested if they have been ordered to register as sex offenders and fail to do so or if they commit "felonies with a knife or firearm." With all other cases the court has the discretion to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant. This bill would not only require the automatic arrests of domestic abusers on parole, but also increase the mandatory supervised release term from 2 years to 4 years.
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