August 2012 - Federal Criminal Law Center

Money spent on ex-offender work programs shows a strong payback

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 30, 2012
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This blog has previously noted the growing concern among government officials, criminal justice administrators, reform advocates and everyday citizens — in virtually all states, from Georgia to Alaska — regarding our nation’s overflowing prison population and the attendant incarceration-related costs that are skyrocketing to an almost mind-boggling degree. Critics say that far too many inmates […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 28, 2012
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Is justice blind? Probably not many Americans truly believe that, given the variances in sentencing outcomes that are readily seen across the nation, including in Georgia, for defendants who seem similarly placed and have been convicted of similar crimes. A new study just released by university professors that looks at felony cases prosecuted in Cook […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 24, 2012
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Any experienced Georgia criminal defense attorney knows the propensity of the state to often push for the incarceration of persons who, along with the general public, are better served by an alternative outcome for a federal or state crime charge. As this blog has duly noted in prior posts, polls from many sources widely reflect […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 21, 2012
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Here’s one example among many others that the ACLU uses to make a point about the need for federal and state sentencing reform and mitigation in many instances. A man was convicted in Mississippi of selling a mere $40 worth of cocaine. He had two prior convictions on nonviolent drug charges, and there was no […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 17, 2012
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Corporate executives and other employees of companies who exercise strong leadership roles might want to remind themselves to add an additional item on their “to-do” lists sometime soon: review the “responsible corporate officer” doctrine. Alternatively, they might need an experienced federal criminal appeals attorney to explain it to them or defend them in an appellate […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 14, 2012
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Persons arrested in Georgia and elsewhere who have been forced by jail or prison authorities to engage in labor while being classified as pretrial detainees might well want to take note of a case decision handed down last week by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In that case, the federal appeals court overruled […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 11, 2012
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In our immediately preceding blog post, we referred to the “considerable resources” that government — both federal and state organs — can bring to bear to conduct surveillance on citizens, collect evidence and seek to prosecute them for crimes ranging from drug charges and white collar crimes to a host of other charges. New information […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 9, 2012
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Here’s a question that most law school students after a semester of constitutional law would answer quickly and confidently with a resounding “no” response. That query: Can federal government officials intercept and monitor private telephone communications inside the United States without receiving judicial authorization to do so? There’s just one problem with an unqualified “under […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On August 2, 2012
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Many states, including Georgia, have seen drastic budget cuts across a number of programs in recent years, as services have been curtailed and resources stretched taut owing to economic malaise and ongoing fiscal stain. Fiscal reality has certainly visited the criminal justice system across its entirety, and a trend has emerged in a number of […]

Money spent on ex-offender work programs shows a strong payback

Study: Some judges, more than others, consider race when sentencing

New Georgia program stresses alternatives to jail, prison

Opinion: Sentencing in U.S. on wrong track; reform needed now

Focus on "responsible corporate officer" doctrine in appeals court

Federal appeals case focus: Pretrial detainee vs. convicted inmate

NYPD monitoring: prototype for a national surveillance system?

Appeals court weighs in on feds’ warrantless wiretap program

Drug sentencing reform trend underway in many states