On Looking for Closure from the Criminal Justice System
A day after that horrible 2016 election I was mourning not only what was to become a national nightmare, but also the failure of California’s Prop 62, which would have
The Central Park Jogger and the Reification of Victims’ Perspectives
Those of you familiar with the Central Park Five case should be under no doubt that, despite Trump’s insistence on propagating a strange narrative of the case, the five teenagers
Nail Polish, or Why Left Realism Fights Rape Culture Better than Radical Demagogy
An interesting invention is making the rounds on social media website: four college students have invented nail polish that would allow its wearer, by inserting their finger into their drink,
Judge Karlton Declares Prop 9 Unconstitutional
I am thrilled to report another important legal development: Judge Karlton of the Northern District has declared Prop 9, otherwise known as Marsy’s Law or the Victim Bill of Rights,
Are Crime Victims Punitive?
Research on punitiveness consistently teaches us that, surprisingly, being a crime victim does not make one more punitive. Incidents like today’s death of notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez of natural
Restorative Justice in Murder Cases
Conor McBride and Ann Grosmaire in 2010.Courtesy the Grosmaire family and the New York Times. In 2001, still in practice as a reservist for the Israeli Military Defense Counsel’s office,
On Sandy Hook, Moral Panic, and Legitimate Fear
Map of shooting incidents courtesy Mother Jones;interactive version on the website. Much of the commentary on Sandy Hook has highlighted the rise in the number of public shooting incidents in
On Sandy Hook and Violence Prediction
Photo courtesy ibtimes.co.uk. In the aftermath of the dreadful Sandy Hook tragedy, much of my Facebook wall is the arena of political debates about gun control and about national mental
CCC Endorsements 2012: YES on 34. NO on 35. YES on 36.
In two weeks, California voters will be offered the opportunity to vote on three criminal justice initiatives: Prop 34, which would replace the death penalty with life without parole; Prop
No on 35
Over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve been asked, in professional and personal settings, to comment on Prop 35, billed as Stop Human Trafficking. I have given this