Category Archives: Civil Rights
The Right of the Use of Deadly Force Against Prison Escapees
Two convicted murderers who escaped from a maximum security prison in New York and who were recently found by authorities has shed light on the issue of deadly force that can be used by an officer. One of the two escapees was shot dead while being pursued on foot by officers, while the other… Read More »
The Voir Dire Dilemma: Social Media and Attorney Snooping
The members of a criminal defendant’s jury are extremely important, as well as the voir dire process to select these members. Because jury members are only human, how they think, how they feel, and their experiences in life are all relevant to how they will decide a criminal verdict. Voir dire is the process… Read More »
The Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015
Reform is on its way for the criminal justice system. Judges, prosecutors, and police officials are pushing toward greater change in federal sentencing and overhauling and cutting mandatory minimums for drug offenses. The fear is that drug offense punishments, more so than any other crime, are not only extremely harsh on the offenders, but… Read More »
Jailhouse Snitch Information Testimony: The Admissibility Issues
When convicted of capital crimes, defendants face significant, harsh, life and death punishments. With so much on the line, every bit of evidence considered admissible can tilt the jury to decide the fate of a capital defendant. Jailhouse snitches, or informants, are considered the leading cause for wrongful convictions in capital crimes. It was… Read More »
Florida Department of Corrections Agrees to Settle with the Disability Rights of Florida in Inmate Mistreatment Lawsuit
Disability Rights of Florida had a major win recently when the Florida Department of Corrections settled the lawsuit filed by the disability rights group opposing treatment of mentally ill inmates incarcerated in the Florida prison system. The Disability Rights of Florida filed actions against the Florida Department of Corrections after a series of incidences… Read More »
Body Cameras on Police Officers: Who Has the Right to the Footage?
In the last two years, citizens around the United States are calling for changes in the policies and procedures of police officers and other law enforcement agents. One of the main requests relates to the use of body cameras on police officers as they go about their jobs so as to protect men and… Read More »
The Push Toward Restoration of Felons’ Civil Rights in Florida
For many criminal defendants who have been charged and convicted, many believe that once they have served their prison sentences, outside of a period of time where they are on probation, they will return to their lives as law-abiding citizens. Florida and a few other states, however, have legislation on the books that makes… Read More »
The Science Behind False Confessions: Police Brutality Not Required
When people think of false, forced, or coerced confessions, the images that come to mind are of criminal defendants being tortured and brutalized by police as part of an interrogation technique to get criminals to fess up to a crime. The U.S. criminal justice system has protections in place to ensure that police are… Read More »
Is it Possible to Have Unbiased Jurors in High-Profile Criminal Cases?
In criminal proceedings, a defendant is permitted to request to be tried in front of a jury of his or her peers. It is a constitutional right and one that many believe allows for the human heart and sympathy to enter into the legal sphere. But there are times when having a jury of… Read More »
SCOTUS Stays a Florida Execution: A Review on the Current Lethal Injection Protocol
Florida’s execution protocol has been put under the microscope by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS), which on February 25, 2015 decided to uphold a stay of execution for a defendant on death row in Florida. This stay of execution comes at the heels of three Oklahoma defendants who petitioned against the current lethal… Read More »