"In Wake of Garrido Arrest, California Tightens Monitoring of Sex Offenders": Sam Stanton, reported in Sacramento Bee on Saturday that California corrections officials are being scrutinized after the state failed to monitor Phillip Garrido, a paroled sex offender now accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard. A policy took effect this past Thursday requiring parole agents to regularly check records of GPS tracking for offenders who are on "passive" monitoring. Under the new policy, "passive" offenders will have two consecutive days of movements randomly checked twice a month to ensure that offenders know they're being monitored. Paroled sex offenders who pose a greater-risk are tracked through active monitoring, meaning their movements for each previous day are checked daily. As of March 1, there were 2,219 offenders on passive monitoring in California and 4,779 on active monitoring.
"Cold Hit" Spurs Rape Suspect's Arrest: Larry Hertz of New York's Poughkeepsie Journal reports on the first crime in Dutchess County to be solved by cold-hit DNA evidence. Back in 2003, two women were raped at gunpoint in the city of Poughkeepsie, NY. More than six years later, DNA evidence allowed police to charge Jason Freeman with the rapes. Last fall, Freeman was arrested on robbery charges in another county, and under New York law was required to give a DNA sample to police. His sample was sent to the state police forensic lab in Albany, and test results revealed that Freeman's sample matched DNA evidence taken from the rape victims and a gun that was recovered after the second rape. Senior Assistant District Attorney Marjorie Smith stated, "A few years ago, we didn't have the technology to give us a cold hit. This guy probably would have gotten away."
A 36-Year-Old Mystery, Solved by DNA: Alisha Wyman, a Napa Valley Register staff writer, reports that a 36-year-old mystery in Napa, CA, has been solved with DNA evidence. Anita Andrews was killed in 1974 in Fagiani's Cocktail Lounge. DNA that was found at the crime scene was preserved, and was recently matched to Roy Melanson, 73, who is currently in prison for murder in Colorado. Melanson still has not been charged in the Napa case. This year officials began collecting DNA samples from people arrested for any felony, as well as misdemeanor offenses. Jill Spriggs, the bureau chief for the California Bureau of Forensic Services in Sacramento -- which tested the evidence in Andrews case -- says the bureau makes about 300 matches a month - either connecting an offender to a case or two cases to each other.
Ninth Circuit Nominee is "Test Case for Obama Judicial Picks": Washington Post staff writer, Robert Barnes, reports that the battle over the nomination of Goodwin Liu "could tell much about the Obama administration's willingness to appoint controversial nominees to the bench, including the Supreme Court." Liu has already been recognized by Senator Sessions as "an individual" whose constitutional views are "far outside the mainstream of American jurisprudence," and many conservative legal groups are opposing the nomination. Back in February, Kent wrote on our blog, "[t]his calls for pull-out-the-stops opposition."
Philippines May Move to Reimpose Capital Punishment: The Manila Bulletin reported yesterday that President Arroyo has approved the Free Legal Assistance Act of 2010, which will give anti-crime advocates a new and strong argument to seek revival of capital punishment.
"Cold Hit" Spurs Rape Suspect's Arrest: Larry Hertz of New York's Poughkeepsie Journal reports on the first crime in Dutchess County to be solved by cold-hit DNA evidence. Back in 2003, two women were raped at gunpoint in the city of Poughkeepsie, NY. More than six years later, DNA evidence allowed police to charge Jason Freeman with the rapes. Last fall, Freeman was arrested on robbery charges in another county, and under New York law was required to give a DNA sample to police. His sample was sent to the state police forensic lab in Albany, and test results revealed that Freeman's sample matched DNA evidence taken from the rape victims and a gun that was recovered after the second rape. Senior Assistant District Attorney Marjorie Smith stated, "A few years ago, we didn't have the technology to give us a cold hit. This guy probably would have gotten away."
A 36-Year-Old Mystery, Solved by DNA: Alisha Wyman, a Napa Valley Register staff writer, reports that a 36-year-old mystery in Napa, CA, has been solved with DNA evidence. Anita Andrews was killed in 1974 in Fagiani's Cocktail Lounge. DNA that was found at the crime scene was preserved, and was recently matched to Roy Melanson, 73, who is currently in prison for murder in Colorado. Melanson still has not been charged in the Napa case. This year officials began collecting DNA samples from people arrested for any felony, as well as misdemeanor offenses. Jill Spriggs, the bureau chief for the California Bureau of Forensic Services in Sacramento -- which tested the evidence in Andrews case -- says the bureau makes about 300 matches a month - either connecting an offender to a case or two cases to each other.
Ninth Circuit Nominee is "Test Case for Obama Judicial Picks": Washington Post staff writer, Robert Barnes, reports that the battle over the nomination of Goodwin Liu "could tell much about the Obama administration's willingness to appoint controversial nominees to the bench, including the Supreme Court." Liu has already been recognized by Senator Sessions as "an individual" whose constitutional views are "far outside the mainstream of American jurisprudence," and many conservative legal groups are opposing the nomination. Back in February, Kent wrote on our blog, "[t]his calls for pull-out-the-stops opposition."
Philippines May Move to Reimpose Capital Punishment: The Manila Bulletin reported yesterday that President Arroyo has approved the Free Legal Assistance Act of 2010, which will give anti-crime advocates a new and strong argument to seek revival of capital punishment.
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