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Criminal Justice News This Week (week of 12-16-19)
Ohio governor establishes expedited pardon process. "On December 3, Governor Mike DeWine announced an initiative that promises to revive the pardon power in Ohio and bring much-needed relief from collateral consequences to many hundreds of deserving individuals convicted over the years in that state. The Expedited Pardon Project, a collaboration between the Governor’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Policy Center at Ohio State University and the Reentry Clinic at The University of Akron School of Law, aspires to expedite the process by which people apply for a pardon under Ohio’s laws by enlisting law students to assist in preparing pardon applications. Once petitions are filed, the formal pardon process prescribed by statute will be collapsed into a period of months, with final action by the governor in less than a year."
Ohio Jail Faces $2.8 Million Lawsuit After Claims Of Abuse Are Made By Dozens Of Men. "The suit is the latest of at least three complaints filed against the Portage County Jail this year."
Changing the Culture of Community Supervision. “The U.S. probation and parole system, generally referred to as community supervision, is at a crossroads.”
The FBI Will Be Audited to See How Frequently They Screw Up Other FISA Warrants. “Was what happened with Carter Page an anomaly or does the agency regularly leave out important information?”
'Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury': How to Handle Your First Trial Like a Vet. “Many lawyers vividly remember their first jury address—the moment when a ‘litigator’ becomes a ‘trial lawyer.’ For many, a trial is something they’ve worked toward since the first year of law school. That first trial can be thrilling and unlike anything else in the law. Below, I offer some advice for young lawyers approaching that career milestone.”
Federal Marijuana Legalization Is A Lock – But How, When? “At the state level, many advocates predicted that New York and New Jersey would be the next to legalize weed. Well, that didn’t happen. In fact, Illinois swooped in and legalized first, making both states look like dorks. But aside from that, no other significant pot laws were passed at the state level in 2019. We also learned that police are still out there arresting more than 600,000 pot offenders nationwide every year — mostly small timers, too.”
2nd Circuit Revives 4th Amendment Claims Over Body Cavity Search. “A divided panel of the Manhattan-based appeals court held for the first time that visual cavity searches conducted in the course of felony arrests must be justified by ‘reasonable suspicion.’”
Is Ending Pretrial Detention a Better Alternative to Bail Than Risk Assessment? “There’s widespread agreement among justice reformers that decisions about whether to jail people accused of crimes before trial should not be based on whether they have enough money to post bail.”
