Submitted by andrew.davies on Fri, 05/09/2014 - 13:35
"Federal and state policy makers should....significantly reduce the rate of incarceration in the United States" according to the recommendations of a new report by the National Research Council. Written by a panel of researchers, it concluded the recent rise in incarceration was historically unprecedented, the product of a punitive political climate, and has done harm to people and communities.
Submitted by andrew.davies on Mon, 04/07/2014 - 09:11
New York's discovery rules are in urgent need of reform according to this article on City Limits. The article reviews the issue at length, including the opinions of defenders, prosecutors and the New York State Justice Task Force.
Submitted by andrew.davies on Tue, 03/25/2014 - 08:31
Medical professionals must not act as law enforcement in child abuse investigations concludes this paper by the Illinois Family Defense Center (IFDC). Doctors all too often jump to incorrect conclusions about the cause of a child's injuries, resulting in false findings of abuse and the needless destruction of families.
Submitted by andrew.davies on Wed, 03/19/2014 - 12:42
An handbook on early access to legal representation has just been published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and can be found here. The report notes that "Even in countries where the law provides for a right of early access to a lawyers, effective access to legal advice and assistance at the early stages of the criminal justice process is often the exception rather than the rule." (Page 3.)
Submitted by andrew.davies on Fri, 03/14/2014 - 10:47
Many public defender clients will be eligible for Medicaid for the first time under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or 'Obamacare'). The ACA expanded Medicaid by making it available to any person with income under 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, though the Supreme Court said states did not have to participate, and not all have.
