Holder Urges States To Review Laws Imposing Curbs On Ex-Prisoners ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attorney General Eric Holder is urging states to eliminate legal burdens on ex-convicts that do not imperil public safety. In a letter last week to all state governors and attorneys general, he said some restrictions such as the prohibition on gun possession, "serve meaningful public safety goals." Others, such as the "denial of employment and housing opportunities, do not, and research reveals that gainful employment and stable housing are key factors that enable people with criminal convictions to avoid future arrests and incarceration," he wrote. Holder pledged that the Obama administration would "conduct a similar review of federal collateral consequences" of criminal convictions. He said that the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice funded a study by the American Bar Association that has found 38,000 statutes that impose consequences on people convicted of crimes, an average of about 700 per state or territory. The study can be found at http://isrweb.isr.temple.edu/projects/accproject |
Holder Sets Priorities: Terrorism, Violent Crime, Financial Fraud ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attorney General Eric Holder, a longtime target of congressional Republicans, one of whom recently called for his resignation, made it clear yeterday that he is not going anywhere, reports the Washington Post. In a speech at Justice Department headquarters, he defended his two-year tenure and sketched out his priorities going forward, vowing to fight terrorism, violent crime, and financial fraud. "Without question, the results that we've achieved have been historic," Holder told more than 150 employees. "But I am not yet satisfied.'' Gone was the grim attorney general who abruptly ended a news conference this month after losing his battle to try the accused Sept. 11, 2001, conspirators in federal court. He took on critics who have questioned his efforts to revamp the department's civil rights division, which internal watchdogs say had been politicized in the George W. Bush administration. |
Houston Hot Spot Policing Tamped Down Property Crime, Not Violence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Houston frequently has used "hot spot" policing, sending extra officers to an area where crime is increasing. The Houston Chronicle says a study commissioned by the Houston Police Department found that dispatching members of its 70-officer Crime Reduction Unit to neighborhoods didn't always have the results they were looking for. In four different deployments, teams did not reduce violent crime but did tamp down property crime, said the Police Research Center at Sam Houston State University. "There was no statistical evidence to show that the CRU presence had a significant impact on violent crime," said the 2009 study. One police official said the study may be used as justification to eliminate or downsize the unit as Police Chief Charles McClelland searches for ways to meet a $39 million budget reduction target for fiscal 2012. Former Chief Harold Hurtt established the unit in 2007 with 60 officers, and they have been deployed "hot spots" in the city with the highest crime rates. The unit's orders are to take gang members, drug traffickers, and illegal guns off the streets. |
Ousted Phoenix Chief: "Don't Inject Politics Into the Police Department" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Former Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, who was forced out as Public Safety Manager, blames politics. He tells the Arizona Republic that most police chiefs "leave because of politics. Rarely do you see a major-city chief terminated because of incompetence or a criminal act or something. It's almost always that the political atmosphere changed and the new power structure wants their own person, and they try to force you out. I think that's what happened to me. There were new faces in the City Council, a new city manager and constant pressure from the union." Harris said the became involved in a dispute with the police union, "wanted us to become very involved in [immigration enforcement], and I didn't." Harris' advice to Phoenix leaders: "Don't inject politics into the police department and the position of police chief. If you let politics in and let the council influence who the police chief will be, then the chief is beholden to politicians. You want the police department outside politics." |
Newark's McCarthy Has Edge If Emanuel Picks Outsider in Chicago ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The competition to become Chicago's next police superintendent has come down to a three-man race between a veteran Chicago cop and a pair of outsiders, with a final decision possible this week, reports the Chicago-Sun Times. The top three are: Newark Police Chief Garry McCarthy; White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske and Chicago's deputy chief-of-detectives Al Wysinger. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel was asked Monday whether an outsider can improve the morale problems that dogged career FBI agent Jody Weis. "My No. 1 goal [ ] is what do we have to do to reduce violent crime in the city," he said. If Emanuel chooses to go with an outsider, McCarthy appears to have the edge. That's because of his background as a street cop and the role he once played as the driving force behind the CompStat program credited with dramatically reducing New York City's homicide rate. Kerlikowske is a former Seattle police chief. His current job as drug czar would likely make him more of a federal bureaucrat in the eyes of rank-and-file Chicago Police officers. That could be a liability after Weis. A hitch for McCarthy could be a 2005 disorderly conduct conviction stemming from his attempt to get his daughter out of a parking ticket. |
Newark Homicide Total Jumps After Major Police Layoffs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three fatal shootings in the last two days pushed Newark's homicide total to 29 this year, a 71 percent jump in killings compared with the same period in 2010, as violent crime surges following police layoffs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Several of the most recent slayings claimed the lives of innocent bystanders, including a 49-year-old man who was shot several times outside of a chicken restaurant late on Easter Sunday. Newark has suffered steady increases in violent crime and property crime since the city laid off 167 police officers in November. Police union leaders, who have frequently criticized the administration of Mayor Cory Booker since the layoffs, were quick to blame the crime spike on a lack of manpower. "I think it just comes down to the people on the street. The bad guys know we're not out there, and it has an effect on how they operate," said James Stewart Jr., vice president of Newark's Fraternal Order of Police. "That's why the shootings have increased dramatically, that's why the homicides are up." |
OH Man Who Served 30 Years Wrongfully Gets $2.59 Million ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A record $2.59 million settlement has been awarded in Ohio to Ray Towler for serving nearly 30 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Towler will report for work this morning in a corporate Cleveland mailroom, where he plans to remain through this summer even after his money arrives in about a week. Towler, 53, who works for Medical Mutual of Ohio, says, "I don't want this money to change who I am or what I become. I was lucky to find a job when I got out, and I'm not going to just run out on them." A state board approved the settlement yesterday, nearly one year after Towler was released from prison. Only a handful of the 268 men who have been exonerated nationally by DNA testing have served more time than Towler. Towler was the third man to be proved innocent in connection with a Columbus Dispatch investigation, "Test of Convictions." Towler was serving 12 years to life for rape, felonious assault and kidnapping for a 1981 abduction. The victims, a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, said a man lured them into the woods. DNA testing proved that semen found in the girl's underwear was not Towler's |
Neighbors Would Like Gov. Cuomo to Shut Down Sing Sing Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some economically ailing communities in upstate New York are preparing for bad news that Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to close their local state prison to save money. The New York Times says that in Ossining, a Hudson River village 45 minutes from midtown Manhattan, residents are pleading with Cuomo to close their Sing Sing prison. Local officials argue that Sing Sing now an awkward fit for its locale. What was a blue-collar village suitable for the rough-and-tumble of prisoners and guards now is an upscale suburb fit for backyard cocktail parties. Several local and state lawmakers wrote to Cuomo this month asking to close "the big House," as Sing Sing has been called, and move its 1,725 inmates to a new or refurbished prison upstate where communities would welcome the jobs. The want Sing Sing's 60-acre riverside property to be turned into condos and shops that will generate taxes for local government and raise property values. It may not happen, because Cuomo wants to eliminate minimum- and medium-security facilities where there are more empty beds and not maximum-security prisons like Sing Sing. |
Household Gun Ownership Drops To 32.3% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Household gun ownership in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level since it peaked in 1977, says the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group the Violence Policy Center. Analyzing new data from the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, the Violence Policy Center said household gun ownership peaked in 1977, when more than half (54 percent) of American households reported having any guns. By 2010, that number had dropped more than 20 percentage points to 32.3 percent of American households reporting having any guns, the lowest level ever recorded by the survey. Personal gun ownership peaked in 1985, when 30.7 percent of Americans reported owning a gun. By 2010, this number had dropped nearly 10 percentage points to 20.8 percent. |
Camden Chief Thomson Getting PERF Innovative Policing Award ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camden, N.J,. Police Chief Scott Thomson's uses of technology and increased street patrols in one of the nation's most dangerous cities will be recognized Friday with the Gary Hayes Award for innovative policing from the Police Executive Research Forum, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. "No community has had to face what he's had to face," said PERF director Chuck Wexler. "He's had to change the way he polices." Facing a $26.5 million budget deficit, Camden laid off 163 police officers in January. With almost half of his force gone in a single day, Thomson reduced administrative functions and put virtually every officer on the street. On April 1, the city was able to bring back 55 staff members through a federal grant and a $2.5 million payment from the South Jersey Port Corp. Violent crime in the nine-square-mile city has trended downward, despite an increase in gun violence. That momentum began in the fall and continued this year, even after the layoffs. Experts say that it takes a year or two to identify trends, but that small snapshots are noteworthy. The spike in shootings is a reason for concern. Eye in the Sky surveillance cameras will soon total 81 in the city. "Technology is not a luxury in Camden," Wexler said, "it's a necessity." |
Nashville Program Called Model For Getting Women Out of Prostitution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nashville is trying to break the cycle of prostitutiton, NPR reports in a three-part series. More than 1,100 people were arrested in the city last year for prostitution and solicitation. Some of t hem go to a program called Magdalene that was founded in 1997 by Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest who grew up in Nashville and who had been abused as a child. Magdalene is a two-year private residential rehab center for women with criminal histories of prostitution and drug addiction. Magdalene has graduated more than 150 women and has raised $12 million in private funds. It offers an intensified program of housing, counseling and training, based on a 12-step model. Women stay free for the two years they're there. It is becoming a national model for others trying to help women trapped by prostitution. Therapy occurs in Magdalene's six group homes, where the women live unsupervised. The women also make bath and body oils and candles at a workshop called Thistle Farms - products that Stevens says promote healing. Magdalene also helps run "john schools," aimed at educating male clients who are arrested for hiring prostitutes about various aspects of prostitution. Only first-time offenders may enroll |
Center for Court Innovation Launches New Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Center for Court Innovation, a public-private partnership in New York City that tests "problem-solving" court reforms, has launched a new website, http://courtinnovation.org. One highlight of the new site is a series of podcasts by criminal justice leaders such as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, and David Kennedy of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Downloadable at the site is "Daring to Fail," a collection of interviews with leaders in a variety of fields - prosecution, policing, community corrections, indigent defense, and others - about leadership, management, and innovation. The volume is part of a study of criminal justice reform by the court center and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. The book's co-author, Aubrey Fox, has opened up an office for the center in London to provide technical assistance for British projects that resemble experiments sponsored by the center in the U.S. |
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Articles 26 April 2011
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