Oklahoma Man Who Killed Wife Set for Execution Today: Steve Olafson of Reuters reports Timothy Shaun Stemple, 46, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. local time in Oklahoma today for murdering his wife in 1996 to collect almost $1 million in life insurance benefits. Trisha Stemple, 30, was beaten with a baseball bat before being run over with a pickup truck and left on the side of a road beside her car. One of her tires was punctured with a drill to make the crime look like a random carjacking. Stemple was having an extramarital affair at the time and enlisted his girlfriend's 16-year-old cousin to be his accomplice, who testified against him in exchange for a life prison term. Stemple will be the second man executed in Oklahoma this year.
Bringing Criminals Face-To-Face With Victims Doesn't Affect Recidivism: Eleanor Bell of the Australian Broadcasting Company reports the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics says a program that brings youth offenders face-to-face with victims of crime makes no difference in the rate at which they re-offend. The bureau looked at almost 1,000 youth referred to a Youth Justice Conference and compared them to the same number of youth dealt with by that state's Children's Court. The bureau found that young offenders made to confront their victims reoffend at the same rate as those that go through the Court. The bureau's Dr. Don Weatherburn says there still are community benefits to this type of program. "It works in the sense that it makes the victims of crimes or victims who participate in these processes much more satisfied, less angry about the offence," he said. "But it doesn't work to reduce juvenile reoffending, because it doesn't really address the causes of juvenile offending."
Blago Goes to Prison: The Associated Press reports former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has entered a federal prison in Colorado this morning to begin his 14-year sentence for multiple corruption convictions. Blagojevich, 55, is the second former Illinois Governor to go to prison for corruption. "I'm leaving with a heavy heart, a clear conscience and I have high, high hopes for the future," said Blagojevich.
NY Legislature Agrees on DNA Bill: Mirela Iverac of WYNC News reports New York state lawmakers reached an agreement late Wednesday on a bill to expand the state's DNA database to collect samples from all offenders convicted of a felony and most misdemeanors. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, this will make New York the first "all crimes DNA" state in the nation. Only those convicted of marijuana possession will not have to provide a DNA sample, as long as they have not previously been convicted of another misdemeanor or felony. The bill allows defendants in certain criminal cases to obtain DNA testing prior to trial to demonstrate innocence, and allows certain convicted criminal defendants to have access to the database.
Court Rules Herzog Placement Valid: Jordan Guinn of The Stockton Record reports California's 3rd Appellate District Court ruled Loren Herzog was rightfully paroled to the state-issued trailer in a fenced-in compound outside High Desert Prison, where he committed suicide earlier this year. The decision reversed a previous ruling from a Lassen County trial court that ruled Herzog's placement in the county was not in the best interest of the public and that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had illegally paroled him there. The CDCR had appealed that decision. According to the court ruling, "It was only after the Department determined that his prospective placement in San Joaquin County would locate Herzog within 35 miles of victims and witnesses that it exercised its discretion to find a more suitable placement." Even though Herzog died during the appeals process, a ruling was made on the topic because the court said the issue of a parolee being unwanted in multiple counties is likely to be a reoccurring issue.
Bringing Criminals Face-To-Face With Victims Doesn't Affect Recidivism: Eleanor Bell of the Australian Broadcasting Company reports the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics says a program that brings youth offenders face-to-face with victims of crime makes no difference in the rate at which they re-offend. The bureau looked at almost 1,000 youth referred to a Youth Justice Conference and compared them to the same number of youth dealt with by that state's Children's Court. The bureau found that young offenders made to confront their victims reoffend at the same rate as those that go through the Court. The bureau's Dr. Don Weatherburn says there still are community benefits to this type of program. "It works in the sense that it makes the victims of crimes or victims who participate in these processes much more satisfied, less angry about the offence," he said. "But it doesn't work to reduce juvenile reoffending, because it doesn't really address the causes of juvenile offending."
Blago Goes to Prison: The Associated Press reports former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has entered a federal prison in Colorado this morning to begin his 14-year sentence for multiple corruption convictions. Blagojevich, 55, is the second former Illinois Governor to go to prison for corruption. "I'm leaving with a heavy heart, a clear conscience and I have high, high hopes for the future," said Blagojevich.
NY Legislature Agrees on DNA Bill: Mirela Iverac of WYNC News reports New York state lawmakers reached an agreement late Wednesday on a bill to expand the state's DNA database to collect samples from all offenders convicted of a felony and most misdemeanors. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, this will make New York the first "all crimes DNA" state in the nation. Only those convicted of marijuana possession will not have to provide a DNA sample, as long as they have not previously been convicted of another misdemeanor or felony. The bill allows defendants in certain criminal cases to obtain DNA testing prior to trial to demonstrate innocence, and allows certain convicted criminal defendants to have access to the database.
Court Rules Herzog Placement Valid: Jordan Guinn of The Stockton Record reports California's 3rd Appellate District Court ruled Loren Herzog was rightfully paroled to the state-issued trailer in a fenced-in compound outside High Desert Prison, where he committed suicide earlier this year. The decision reversed a previous ruling from a Lassen County trial court that ruled Herzog's placement in the county was not in the best interest of the public and that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had illegally paroled him there. The CDCR had appealed that decision. According to the court ruling, "It was only after the Department determined that his prospective placement in San Joaquin County would locate Herzog within 35 miles of victims and witnesses that it exercised its discretion to find a more suitable placement." Even though Herzog died during the appeals process, a ruling was made on the topic because the court said the issue of a parolee being unwanted in multiple counties is likely to be a reoccurring issue.
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