Recent Blog Posts
While Street Stops Are On the Decline in New York, Racial Profiling Is Still a Huge Problem
A new statistical analysis conducted by a federal monitor has revealed that street stops by New York City police officers—a form of search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment—have been on the decline since 2011. However, racial disparity (profiling) when it comes to these stops still appears to be an issue. The analysis was… Read More »
Murder Charges for Bronx Police Sergeant May Highlight New Prosecution Trend
By now, most New York citizens have heard about the New York City police sergeant (Hugh Barry) who fatally shot an older, mentally ill woman (Deborah Danner) in her Bronx apartment last October. Following his arrest and months of investigation into the incident, on May 31st, Barry was charged with murder in connection with… Read More »
Creato Murder Trial Draws Attention in New Jersey This Week
By now, many people in New Jersey have heard of David Creato Jr., the father accused of killing his three-year-old son, and whose murder trial is now taking place in Camden, New Jersey. Creato’s son’s body was found in October 2015 in a nearby creek. Creato has been accused of murdering the child allegedly… Read More »
Criminalizing Citizens for Both Deportation & Civil Disobedience
It’s no secret that many people in America are scared are of being deported right at this moment—most of them even though they’ve done nothing at all—others for petty crimes that they paid their dues for long ago. While the Obama administration’s guidelines for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency specified that terrorists… Read More »
Allegations of Obstruction Of Justice: What Must Be Proven?
The issue of obstruction of justice has been all over the news of late, covering the recent firing of ex-FBI Director James B. Comey by President Trump, along with coverage of the statement that the president asked Comey to shut down an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. But what is obstruction… Read More »
New Jersey Legislation Could Legalize Recreational Use of Marijuana
On the week of May 16th, Senator Nicholas Scutari introduced a bill that would allow for the recreational use of marijuana in the state of New Jersey. Not only would the legislation allow for marijuana to be recreationally used, but also grown, sold, and taxed in the state, allowing New Jersey to join the… Read More »
New Jersey Attorney General Announces New Initiative Targeting “Public Corruption,” But Could This Be A Witch Hunt?
New Jersey continues to make the national news headlines this week as, on May 9th, Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced that the state would be offering a $25,000 reward for any tips “to fight corruption.” Porrino referenced former Bloomfield Councilman Elias Chalet in his announcement; Chalet recently pled guilty to bribery and will now… Read More »
Does New Jersey’s New Opioid Law Go Too Far in Criminalizing Certain Activities? Doctors Express Concerns
New Jersey’s new law severely limiting the ability for doctors to prescribe opioid prescriptions has many concerned, especially doctors, who could face severe legal consequences if they step outside of its strict requirements. The law not only limits initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain to a five-day supply, but also requires doctors to have… Read More »
How We Define “Criminal”
The New York Times featured an interesting article on May 1 questioning the concept of who is considered to be a criminal, and how the answer to this question often depends upon the political agenda of whoever is in charge in the moment. In sum, the article puts forth the argument that the current… Read More »
Using Algorithms to Sentence “Criminals”
On May 1st, the New York Times published an eye-opening article about emerging software programs that are actually sending people to prison, and the strain that this is place on the justice system. While this may sound like a chapter out of a science fiction novel, in fact, individuals have already been sentenced to… Read More »
