February 27, 2012 Today's Stories |
| CT Minorities More Likely to Get Traffic-Offense Tickets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black and Hispanic drivers stopped by police in Connecticut are significantly more likely to leave with a ticket or a court date than are white motorists pulled over for the same offense, a first-ever analysis by the Hartford Courant shows. From running stop signs to busted taillights, a check of 100,000 traffic stops by dozens of local departments in 2011 found widespread disparity in how minorities are treated. Blacks and Hispanics fared especially poorly on equipment violations. Among 4,000 stops related to license plates, 13 percent of whites left with a citation, compared with 27 percent of blacks and 36 percent of Hispanics. For more than 2,600 stops involving improper taillights, blacks were twice as likely and Hispanics nearly four times as likely to be ticketed, compared to whites. Across the U.S., studies have sought to determine whether police are more likely to target blacks and Hispanics when deciding which vehicles to pull over. But the Courant's analysis focused on disparities in the treatment of motorists after they are stopped. "Well, I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not," said state Rep. Kelvin Roldan, who said he has been the victim of racial profiling many times in 23 years in Connecticut. "These are real violations of people's civil rights." |
| Post Clarifies Murder Story; Lanier Calls It "Misleading, Inflammatory" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Washington Post published an editor's note backing away from a suggestion last week that the Washington, D.C., police department under Chief Cathy Lanier, in reporting its annual homicide-closure rate, "may have manipulated data to foster a positive impression." The Post said a police department decision to include in a current year's closure count cases closed from previous years "casts the department in a more favorable light but does not mean that the underlying data are distorted." The original article was linked in a summary in Crime & Justice News. The newspaper gave the chief a column to respond to the article. In the column, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/theres-no-trick-to-dcs-homicide-closure-rate/2012/02/24/gIQAgtFYYR_story.html , Lanier said that "to support its slanted claims," the Post had "used misleading and inflammatory quotes and ill-informed sources." She said the piece "left out information supplied by my department that would have invalidated the assertions contained in the story." |
| Oregon Trial Shows High Profits, Internet Role in Prostitution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In eye-opening testimony presented in a trial of a Portland man accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution, reports The Oregonian, one stunning economic fact emerged: the 21-year-old defendant was making more money than anyone else in the courtroom: as much as $2,000 to $3,000 in a single day. The girl he prostituted said Gus Wayne Rouse Jr. was sending her out on 10 tricks a day, forcing her to turn over everything she made. Once, when she tried to hide some of the money in the bathroom vent of a motel room, he choked her and warned her if she did it again, she'd get worse. The week-long trial exposed a rarely told story of an underage prostitute, the johns who flocked to her, and the pimp who ruled so absolutely. It shined a light on the seedy underbelly of the Internet, where call girls in every corner of the state are pictured scantily clad or nude, blatantly offering sex acts for money. The trial featured a string of adults who exploited the 17-year-old, or turned a blind eye to what was really going on -- from the taxi driver who made $40 driving her to johns' homes, to the motel owners who didn't ask questions, to the emergency-room doctor who lived in a swank condo and became her No. 1 client. |
| Obama Budget Cuts, Latin American Stances Called Drug Legalization Boost ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the first time since the U.S. launched its "war on drugs" four decades ago, there are signs that the forces supporting legalization or de-criminalization of illegal drugs are gaining momentum across the hemisphere, says Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer. The debate will take years to produce concrete results. New factors include a reduction of U.S. anti-narcotic aid to Latin America proposed by the Obama Administration in its 2013 budget, which is beginning to pose an increasingly serious challenge to the traditional interdiction-based U.S. anti-drug strategies. For the first time, Latin American presidents currently in office are openly calling for government-to-government talks to discuss legalization or decriminalization of illicit drugs. The Obama budget would cut narcotics control and law enforcement funds to Mexico would be cut by nearly $50 million, or 20 percent from last year's levels, while anti-drug funds to Colombia would drop by 11 percent, and to Guatemala by 60 percent. |
| Dementia Grows As Problem Among Aging Prisoners ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Convicted killers at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo help care for prisoners with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, assisting ailing inmates with the most intimate tasks, such as showering, shaving, applying deodorant, even changing adult diapers, says the New York Times. Dementia in prison is a fast-growing phenomenon that many prisons are unprepared to handle. Long sentences have created large numbers of aging prisoners. About 10 percent of the 1.6 million U.S. inmates are serving life terms. More older people go to prison: in 2010, 9,560 people 55 and older, more than twice as many as in 1995; inmates 55 and older almost quadrupled, to nearly 125,000, says Human Rights Watch. Experts say prisoners appear more prone to dementia on average because they may have more risk factors: limited education, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, depression, substance abuse, head injuries from violence. Many states call over-50 inmates elderly, saying they age up to 15 years faster. |
| New Colorado Effort Prepares Long-Term Inmates for Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Colorado has begun a program that prepares long-term, once-violent inmates for their release, reports Miller-McCune magazine. It is designed for inmates 45 and older who have been imprisoned for at least 15 years, including offenders with parole-eligible life sentences (excluding sex offenders and arsonists). It provides a transitional reintegration for selected prisoners who have behaved well, acknowledged their crimes, and shown remorse. Modeled after a successful Canadian program created for lifers, the Long-Term Offender Program pairs inmates with mentors - former convicts who know firsthand what it's like to walk out of prison after decades inside. The Colorado prison system is at 116 percent capacity with 14,835 inmates - roughly 2,000 more than it was designed for."I don't really know of any other place in the country that is focusing on lifers and long-term incarcerated offenders," says David Altschuler of Johns Hopkins University, who has studied alternative sentencing and reentry programs for nearly 25 years, and who helped design the Long-Term Offender Program curriculum. |
| Youth Arrested in High School Shooting Near Cleveland; 4 Hurt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four students were injured in a shooting this morning at Chardon High School, east of Cleveland, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The Geauga County Sheriff's Office and the FBI said a suspect has been arrested. The youth who was arrested had fled the high school building, but was caught on a street. A local official said three boys and a girl were injured. Sources said three of the students were flown to a trauma center. The school was immediately put on lockdown, and parents were told to pick up their children. Several students came out of the school in tears. Others came out in gym shorts, an indication of how suddenly the school day changed and the urgency with which the students were removed from the building. |
| Security High In Memphis Trial Involving Mexican Death Squad ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A portrait of Memphis' secret seedy side is taking shape in a federal trial of two alleged hit men from the city's most notorious drug organization, says the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It includes killers callously hunting down their targets. a Mexico death squad armed with assault rifles and silencers, and a 6-year-old boy caught up in a shootout over a multi-million-dollar drug heist. The most anticipated witness, organization leader Craig Petties, is yet to testify. Petties, who preached loyalty at all costs and ordered deaths of those who betrayed him, has become what he hated -- a government snitch. Monday starts the third week in the trial of two cousins accused of being hit men for Petties. Security is high, with officials shielding jurors' identities and manning extra checkpoints. Armed U.S. Marshals escort jurors from a secret location to and from court. More than 30 Petties associates have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from cocaine trafficking and racketeering to murder. |
| Leader of Infamous Texas Prison Escape Set for Execution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the months leading up to his 2000 escape from a Texas prison, George Rivas had made up his mind that he would gain his freedom or die trying. Now, the mastermind of one of the most daring prison escapes in Texas history is a few days from execution. The leader of the Texas Seven escapees said he is at comfort with the finality that will come Wednesday. "It's bittersweet," Rivas, 41, told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. "Bitter because I hurt for my family, for them. Sweet because it's almost over." Rivas organized the Dec. 13, 2000, escape of the seven inmates, including a rapist, murderers, and robbers, who fascinated and terrified the state and nation as they eluded authorities. On Christmas Eve, the convicts, dressed as security guards, robbed a sporting goods store when Irving, Tx., police officer Aubrey Hawkins confronted them. Rivas has said he shot Hawkins repeatedly, including three times while Hawkins, 29, had his hands up. He died a few hours later. The murder spurred a nationwide manhunt for Rivas and his fellow escapees. Rivas says he feels guilt for his actions and deserves to die for his crime. |
| Young Lawyers Work as Unpaid Federal Prosecutors In K.C. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why would Ryan Hershberger, 29, work as federal prosecutor in Kansas City for no pay? "It's an abysmal economy," Hershberger, who attended law school at the University of Kansas, tells the Kansas City Star. With unemployment among lawyers about 5 percent in Missouri, and underemployment among young lawyers at 30 percent, U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips saw an opportunity to offer experience and training to recent graduates while maintaining her office's hiring freeze. "It's turned out to be a positive experience," Phillips said. "We've gotten excellent work, and they're getting excellent experience and training." When she advertised three uncompensated positions in 2010, more than 30 lawyers applied. "We knew the economy was difficult and there was a pool of attorneys who were having trouble finding work," she said. "But we weren't going to hire someone just because they were available." The lawyers get the same supervision and training as any new hire. Sara Holzschuh, 26, a University of Missouri graduate, is carrying full criminal caseloads just like any other assistant U.S. attorney. "I'm in the courtroom every day," Holzschuh said. "I've been able to hone my skills and feel like a real lawyer." |
| NY Jailer Honored After Beating Inmate, Quits, Is Sued ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A defenseless inmate was beaten by the Tioga County, N.Y., Jail's top administrator, David Monell, after being pepper-sprayed and handcuffed to a wooden bench by other officers. A district attorney decided not to prosecute after Monell resigned, reports the Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin, although the beating was captured on videotape. The very next day, Monell was honored by the New York State Senate as the "2010 Correction Officer of the Year." The legislators had no idea what had happened only hours before. "Oftentimes, they figure the problem is solved by the staff person no longer working there," said University of Texas professor Michele Deitch, an expert on oversight of jails and prisons. "But unfortunately, that sends a really bad message to other staff: that this won't be taken seriously if you're caught." While county authorities never brought the incident to public attention, taxpayers are in line to pay the price of the beating: A settlement for an undisclosed sum is pending in a federal lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff's Office, and Monell. |
| Documents Go Inside The Mind of First Modern U.S. Mass Killer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After methodically shooting and killing 13 people in E. Camden, N.J., in 1949, Howard Unruh expected to die in the electric chair or spend his life in prison, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. What he did not want was to spend his days in an asylum. "To be declared insane and remain in this building the rest of my life - well, I would rather have the chair," he told a psychiatrist after the massacre, says a report never before public. He did die a patient at Trenton State Hospital, where he spent 60 years never tried. Documents released by the Camden County Prosecutor at the Inquirer's request help to fill in the portrait of the man considered the first modern-day U.S. mass killer. Psychiatric and investigative reports, including his own long-sealed confession, tell details of his mental landscape before and after the slaughter. On Sept. 6, 1949, Unruh, 28, a jobless World War II combat veteran, left home in a brown suit and bow tie, armed with a 9mm German Luger and a grudge. In 20 minutes, in what was dubbed the "walk of death," he killed 13 people. |
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