Feb. 1, 2011 |
Probe Finds 'Deep Dysfunction' in U.S. System of Death Investigations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Real-world post-mortems have little in common with the fictionalized accounts in novels and on TV shows like "CSI," where skilled medical professionals equipped with sophisticated tools thoroughly investigate each suspicious fatality. In fact, the nation's 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices add up to a deeply dysfunctional system that literally buries its mistakes, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR. Blunders by doctors in America's morgues have put innocent people in prison cells, allowed the guilty to go free, and left some cases so muddled that prosecutors could do nothing. More than one in five physicians working in the country's busiest morgues -- including the chief medical examiner of Washington, D.C. -- are not board certified in forensic pathology, the branch of medicine focused on the mechanics of death, our investigation found. Experts say such certification ensures that doctors have at least a basic understanding of the science, and it should be required for practitioners employed by coroner and medical examiner offices. |
Study Says Red-Light Cameras Save Lives; Opponents Unconvinced ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a new study that is certain to heat up the debate over red-light cameras, a traffic safety group says that the controversial devices saved 159 lives in 14 cities during a five-year period, reports USA Today. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says red-light cameras reduced the rate of fatal red-light running by 24% from 2004 to 2008. Had the cameras been installed in all U.S. cities with populations above 200,000, 815 deaths would have been prevented, says the Insurance Institute, a group funded by auto insurers that aims to reduce injuries and damage on the nation's roads. "The cities that have the courage to use red-light cameras despite the political backlash are saving lives," IIHS President Adrian Lund says. The research was immediately challenged by camera opponents. The National Motorists Association, a drivers' rights group, says cameras have increased crashes in some areas and that other strategies, such as lengthening the duration of yellow lights, are more effective in making intersections safer. And Greg Mauz, a researcher for the Best Highway Safety Practices Institute, which studies traffic-safety laws, says, "The whole idea that cameras can prevent fatalities and crashes is total nonsense." |
After Police Shootings, Florida Pays Heed to Vast Warrant Backlog ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Broward County, Fla., has 219,000 active arrest warrants, and Palm Beach County has 58,000, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Statewide, more than 100,000 warrants are outstanding for felony offenses, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That includes more than 6,400 warrants for people wanted for assault, 2,300 sought for sex crimes and 785 for homicide. The majority of the warrants in South Florida are for relatively minor crimes - misdemeanors and traffic offenses, including driving with a suspended license - as well as failure to appear in court and violation of probation. But hundreds of others are issued for fugitives sought in robberies, kidnappings and other acts of violence. Recent news headlines have been a reminder that serving warrants is dangerous and unpredictable work. Ten days ago, two Miami-Dade detectives were shot to death while attempting to arrest a career criminal on a murder warrant. Just before their memorial service began Monday, two St. Petersburg officers were killed serving a warrant on a sex offender. |
Illinois Study Finds Blacks Face Harsher Drug-Offense Punishment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minority populations in Illinois face stiffer and more frequent punishment for low-level drug offenses than whites, the Associated Press reports. The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission said 19 percent of blacks arrested for Class 4 drug felonies end up in prison, compared to 4 percent of white offenders. The study found a disproportionate number of minority arrests for drug-related crimes in 62 of 102 Illinois counties. The commission said providing alternatives to prison could cut costs and help get people off drugs. The alternatives include substance abuse treatment and educating offenders on the consequences of prison time, such as hurting their chances of getting a job. Pam Rodriguez, president of the Treatment Alternative for Safe Communities, said she believes minorities often accept plea agreements that involve prison time instead of alternative sentencing. That might be because they don't know about options other than prison, or poor communities may not have the money to offer alternatives. Difficulties hiring lawyers also may contribute to the disparity, she said. |
Arizona Governor Says Her State's Gun Laws Are 'Fair and Just' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gov. Jan Brewer is defending Arizona laws that allow the sale of firearms at gun shows without a background check and that forbid cities from imposing such requirements, reports Capitol Media Services. "We believe our laws are fair and just in the state of Arizona,'' she said. Her comments followed New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's release of videos taken by undercover agents at a Phoenix gun show just 15 days after the mass shooting in Tucson. There, Arizona private investigators hired by New York City were able to purchase weapons not only without a background check but, at least twice, after admitting to sellers they probably would not pass. Last year Brewer signed legislation making Arizona only the third state in the nation to let anyone carry a concealed weapon without a state permit, training and a background check. But Brewer said Monday she remains open to further liberalizing the state's gun laws. "I am a strong proponent of the Second Amendment,'' she said. One of the measures awaiting debate this session would further expand where individuals can carry guns to include public buildings unless there were metal detectors and lockers for owners to secure their weapons. |
Cost-Cutting Expected to Bring 'Dramatic Shift' in FL Prison Policy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Florida's get-tough policy on crime over the past few decades is set to collide with an austere budget and a conservative governor pledging to take bold steps to save money, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. With 102,000 prisoners, Florida has the third-largest prison population in the country and some of the toughest sentencing practices in the United States. But most of those prisoners, poorly educated, lacking job training and facing unresolved drug and alcohol problems and mental illness, will wind up back on the streets -- and soon, in prison again. Those circumstances have led to an explosion in the prison population and the annual $2.4 billion corrections budget. Over the last five years, the system has grown by 17,300 prisoners, despite a declining crime rate. Now, in a dramatic shift in prison policy, state leaders looking to cover a budget gap of more than $4 billion may look to aggressively embrace private prisons, as well as an substance abuse and education programs and other efforts to prepare prisoners to successfully return to their communities. Gov. Rick Scott has promised to cut $1 billion from the corrections budget over the next seven years. His plan for achieving that goal will become clearer in the next few weeks, as he presents his first budget to the Legislature and his newly appointed corrections secretary, Edwin Buss -- who earned a reputation as an innovative cost-cutter as head of the Indiana prison system -- begins his job on Feb. 14. |
Reporters Find Barriers to Filing Police Complaints in Philadelphia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting your hands on a police complaint form in Philadelphia isn't always as easy as it's supposed to be, says the city's Daily News. A spot-check by the paper found that officers at some police-district headquarters pressure complainants for personal information regarding the complaint, provide misinformation or even deny them the form needed to file a complaint. Supervisors at five police districts refused to allow the complainant to remain anonymous - which is against the Police Department's policy - and wouldn't supply the form to reporters who posed as complainants. An additional 11 of the city's 21 police districts did not follow department policies for filing complaints. Problems included creating a hostile environment for complainants, and neglecting to inform them of the procedure and locations to file a complaint. Reporters visited every police district and politely requested a form to file a complaint against a police officer. All the reporters requested anonymity and said they would rather not discuss the nature of the complaint. Five districts followed procedures perfectly, and officers at some of the districts that didn't follow all directives were courteous or even friendly. But in all, 12 districts asked for an ID, an action criticized by the civilian Police Advisory Commission. |
For Embattled Camden, the Future Now Seems Even More Bleak ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The future looks even more bleak now for Camden, New Jersey's poorest and most violent city, which earlier this month laid off nearly half its police force, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. No one knows what will happen next because this kind of civic collapse is new and historic. But the city's 78,788 residents wonder if their lives are teetering, as resident William Sylvester says, on the edge of "all-out hellfire." New Jersey's impoverished cities are facing a perfect storm that creates frightening possibilities. Newark recently shrank its police force by 167 officers, Trenton postponed the layoffs of 111 cops, and cities such as Irvington, East Orange and Elizabeth are facing shortfalls that are forcing tax hikes and spending cuts, which are bound to reinforce the downward spiral. |
ATF Budget Cuts Could Eliminate Border Gun-Trafficking Initiative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The ATF fears that steep cuts for the agency proposed by the White House would effectively eliminate a major initiative in the fight against firearms trafficking on the Mexican border, reports the Washington Post. Project Gunrunner is a signature effort by the Obama administration to assist Mexico in stemming the flow of guns south of the border. Under the project, federal officials in Arizona last week arrested more than a dozen people named in a 53-count indictment alleging that a network of gun buyers and smugglers had planned to ship hundreds of weapons to Mexican drug cartels. Dubbed "Fast and Furious," the investigation found traffickers purchasing 10, 20, 30 or 40 AK-47-style rifles at a time from gun shops in the Phoenix area. On one day in April, a couple now charged in the case paid $18,000 and walked out of a retail store with three .50-caliber, armor-piercing Barrett sniper rifles. The proposed ATF cutbacks, which would amount to nearly $160 million out of a $1.25 billion budget request--a 12.8 percent reduction that would also be 3.6 percent below the current budget--are outlined in a preliminary budget document obtained by the newspaper. |
Albuquerque Reverses Short-Lived Policy on Take-Home Police Cars ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new policy that limited the number of Albuquerque police officers who could take their official vehicles home has been reversed a month after it was imposed, reports KASA.com. Officers will get their take-home cars back even if they live more than 11 miles from the city's interstate interchange. About 180 officers had lost their take-home cars on Jan. 1. Public Safety Director Darren White said they reached an agreement with the police union that will allow its officers to once again participate in the take-home car program. The police union had threatened to sue over the new policy, which barred officers from having a take-home car if they live more than 11 miles away from the interchange. The city said it would have saved more than $600,000 a year on gas and wear and tear on the cars. A number of other U.S. cities looking for savings have reconsidered take-home policies for official vehicles, including Chattanooga, Tenn. |
A&E's 'Scared Straight' Perpetrates Myths About 'Tough on Crime' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Writing in the Baltimore Sun, two federal officials have joined the criticism of "Beyond Scared Straight," an A&E TV series that follows the stories of youths placed in adult detention as a way to frighten them into changing their behavior. "The network portrays such programs as effective in keeping youths from becoming lifelong criminals," write Laurie O. Robinson, assistant attorney general for the federal Office of Justice Programs, and Jeff Slowikowski, acting administrator of the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. "Unfortunately, the research tells us otherwise: 'scared straight' is not only ineffective but is potentially harmful. And it may run counter to the law." They cite research that teens who go through the training are more likely to offend again, not less. Robinson and Slowikowski, "The fact that these types of programs are still being touted as effective, despite stark evidence to the contrary, is troubling.(). Fortunately, in recent years, policymakers and criminal and juvenile justice practitioners have begun to recognize that answers about what works are best found in sound research, not in storytelling. Evidence from science provides the field with the best tool for sound decision-making. This 'smart on crime' approach saves taxpayer money and maximizes limited government resources - especially critical at a time of budget cuts." |
Experts Discuss Courts, Civil Liberties, Prisons at John Jay ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the sixth annual H. F. Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America Monday, experts discussed problems in the court system, civil liberties challenges, and the state of the corrections system in the United States. For details, see the Inside Criminal Justice section of our redesigned website, http://thecrimereport.org. Scheduled today are panels on guns and technology issues, among other subjects. The conference is being held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and is funded by the H.F. Guggenheim Foundation. |
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
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