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UPDATE U.S. Attorney General Goes to N.Y. to Discuss Security for 9/11 Trials:  New York Times writer Al Baker reports on Attorney General Eric Holder's unannounced visit on Wednesday to speak with federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials in New York.  As concern builds over the security arrangements for the upcoming trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Holder met with security officials, including Raymond W. Kelly, the city's police commissioner, and Joseph M. Demarest Jr., the assistant director in charge of the F.B.I.'s New York office, "to discuss coordination, cooperation and security for the upcoming trials of the 9/11 terrorists."  New York officials believe security arrangements will be similar to those used during New York's New Year's Eve celebration, and police are formulating security plans for bridges, the transit system and landmarks. Matthew A. Miller, a spokesman for Holder, stated that "There is broad agreement that we can safely and securely hold these trials."

Executions Lower Homicide Rates:  USA Today writer Dan Vergano reports on a study that shows "[e]xecutions in Texas slightly lower homicide rates there, about five to 10 killings in the year afterwards..."  The study, led by sociologist Kenneth Land of Duke University, examined executions in Texas between 1994 and 2005 and subsequent crime.  Researchers chose 1994 as a starting date because legal decisions had led to an increased number of executions during that year.  They found that about one to four months after an execution about 2.5 fewer murders occurred in Texas than would have otherwise took place.  The study concludes "that evidence exists of modest, short-term reductions in the numbers of homicides in Texas in the months of or after executions."    Kent's comment on this study last month is here.

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Blog Scan from Crime and Consequences Blog on December 10, 2009 2:33 PM

Prison and Parole/Probation Populations in 2008:  Yesterday, on Sentencing Law and Policy, Doug Berman posted on two recent Bureau of Justice Statistics reports examining the numbers of prisoners and individuals under probation or parole supervisi... Read More

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Did anyone else see that Janet Napolitano stated that if KSM is acquitted, he'll be deported?

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