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"Some so-called criminals -- and I use this word because it's handy, it means nothing to me -- I speak of the criminals who get caught as distinguished from the criminals who catch them--some of these so-called criminals are in jail for their first offenses, but nine tenths of you are in jail because you did not have a good lawyer and, of course, you did not have a good lawyer because you did not have enough money to pay a good lawyer. There is no very great danger of a rich man going to jail."

Clarence S. Darrow, Speech to inmates at Cook County Jail, 1902

Over 100 Americans on death row were freed by DNA evidence since 1989. At least 15 had confessed or otherwise incriminated themselves. Source: Innocence Project, Cardozo School of Law NYC

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the median sentence for murder is 15 years, the median time served for murder is 5.5 years; for rape, 8 years sentence -- 3 years served; robbery, 6 years sentence -- 2.2 years served; assault, 4 years median sentence -- 1.2 years time served. 42% of inmates were on parole or probation for an earlier conviction.

Is the U.S. Ready for Human Rights? Mere Justice The drive to punishment is making us forget that prisoners have a right to be heard. Yes Magazine

Defense attorneys, legal scholars, and a judge discuss the moral, judicial and constitutional implications of a justice system that relies on plea bargains.

Restorative justice is based on the belief that offenders can be rehabilitated and re-enter society as productive citizens. It gives justice back to the victims by involving them in the process.

What Is Restorative Justice? Restorative justice is holding offenders accountable to victims and the community. Victim-offender mediation is restorative justice. Restorative justice emphasizes healing the victims, offenders, and communities caused by criminal behavior. Practices (a) identify and take steps to repair harm, (b) involve all stakeholders, and (c) transform the traditional relationship between communities and their governments.

Integrating Remorse and Apology into Criminal Procedure -- Most legal scholars ignore remorse and apology, neglecting the roles they play in reconciling and educating offenders and healing victims and communities.

Genesee County criminal justice officials are finding that crime victims are after something that our criminal justice system rarely offers.

Three-strikes life terms fewer than expected -- Washington the first state in the nation to adopt a three-strikes-and-you're-out law, covers more than 40 felonies but the "most dangerous offenses," have dropped from public consciousness.

4 cases of prisoners, some on death row, where DNA evidence was ignored or discounted examines why the system resists acknowledging and correcting its mistakes. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges report on why evidence of innocence comes second to procedural rules.

Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and Ethnicity 23 pagesExamines racial and ethnic disparities and variation in black-to-white stateincarceration. Five Northeast and Midwest states incarcerate blacks at more than ten times the rate of whites. Recommended reforms include addressing disparities in drug policy, mandatory sentencing, “race neutral” policies, and resource allocation.

A program to ease overcrowding at the Wayne County Jail, Michigan, set 60,000 convicts free in the past 7 years with little or no supervision. With no bail money to lose or court supervision nearly half vanished.

Criminalizing the Mentally Ill -- People with serious mental illnesses in America's jails and prisons today is 5 times greater than the number in state mental hospitals. Prisons are "the new asylums of the 21st century." The criminalization of the mentally ill is inhumane. It is financially costly, and a testament to government failure at all levels. The Washington Post

Charles Ogletree, professor of criminal law at Harvard Law School new Second Chance program aims at rehabilitating non-violent felons; former New York Mayor Ed Koch, collaborated with Ogletree, Reverend Al Sharpton; U.S. Rep Bob Barr, a member of the crime subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee; and U.S. Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh ponder, "Is Modern-Day America Modern Enough When it Comes to Crime and Punishment?"

The Corrections Connection -- Weekly news source committed to improving the lives of corrections professionals and their families.

Crime, Punishment, and Reform in Europe by Louis A. Knafla --
Essays on the history of crime, punishment, and reform in Europe from the 18th century. It contains 22 book reviews on major works from the mid-1990s.

Punishment, Communication, and Community by R. A. Duff -- Challenges existing penal theories and practices.

Punishment and Social Structure by George Rusche, Otto Kirchheimer --The history of crime in 3 primary eras - early Middle Ages with emphasis on penance and fines, Middle Ages corporal and capital punishment, and the 17th century development of the prison system.

Kari & Associates
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Olympia, WA 98507

November 2, 2007

Copyright Kari Sable Burns 1994-2007

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Of Prison, Perversions and Executions: BEHIND THE WIRE: An Inside Look at the prison system from one who lived it Richard K. Minard look at the workings of a maximum security prison. Executions are carried out flawlessly. Brutal inmate rape happens even on Christmas. Families cry out for justice during executions to be shocked that it wasn't enough. The last words of a dying man are never heard. " Let's rock and roll" with these words, his last, the execution began.