Category Archives: Criminal justice

The death penalty is always wrong, even for the guilty

Posted on September 22, 2011 by David

Today is a very sad day: Troy Anthony Davis was killed last night by the State of Georgia, despite the mounting evidence of his innocence, and despite a hard-fought campaign by Amnesty and other NGOs. A great many people – … Continue reading →

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Unreliable evidence and the problem with criminal trials

Posted on September 19, 2011 by David

This week, I and many of my readers have been participating in an Amnesty International campaign to urge the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute the sentence of Troy Davis, currently scheduled to be executed for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil liberties, Criminal justice, Science | View Comments

An illustration of the stupidity of mass imprisonment

Posted on September 13, 2011 by David

Sean Duffy, a troubled and unemployed 25-year-old with an alcohol problem, has been jailed for eighteen weeks today for trolling Facebook memorial pages. Reportedly, he posted a series of grossly offensive comments, pictures and videos mocking the deaths of deceased … Continue reading →

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Suspects in criminal investigations should have a right to privacy

Posted on September 4, 2011 by David

Some time ago, I commented on the media circus surrounding the arrest of homicide victim Joanna Yeates’ former landlord; despite the fact that he had not been charged with or convicted of any crime, the press saw fit to publish … Continue reading →

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The idiocy of evicting rioters’ families

Posted on August 13, 2011 by David

We have learned today that one London local authority has started eviction proceedings against an unnamed mother and her teenage son, the latter having been allegedly involved in the recent Clapham riots. The family face the prospect of losing their … Continue reading →

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Thought-provoking quote of the day

Posted on May 17, 2011 by David

From Oscar Wilde’s essay The Soul of Man under Socialism, written in 1891. I don’t agree with much of the essay; in particular, I can’t go along with Wilde’s utopian fantasies (influenced by the work of the Russian anarchist thinker … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal justice, Politics | View Comments

The tragedy of women’s prisons

Posted on May 13, 2011 by David

Yesterday evening I attended a panel discussion, featuring Howard League director Frances Crook and former prison governor Stephen Pryor, on the subject of women in the penal system. I’ve written in the past about the urgent need for reform of … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal justice, Feminism | View Comments

Cannabis legalization is a human rights issue

Posted on March 17, 2011 by David

Via Ed Brayton: In 2007 there were over 850,000 marijuana arrests (PDF). The United States has only 5% of the worlds population but imprisons 25% of its prisoners. The federal government spent over $15 billion on the drug war in … Continue reading →

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David Simon on urban poverty and the “War on Drugs”

Posted on March 2, 2011 by David

In this interview, former Baltimore crime journalist David Simon, creator of the TV series The Wire, talks about the catastrophic failure of the “War on Drugs”, the parlous state of America’s criminal justice system, and the tragic reality of life … Continue reading →

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Simon Heffer: authoritarian wingnut

Posted on February 19, 2011 by David

I’ve devoted a lot of space on this blog lately to covering the dire political situation on the other side of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, I was reminded this evening that it isn’t just American audiences who willingly lap up the … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal justice, Idiocy | View Comments