Blog Nov 3, 2011
Is Wall Street a gang? Part II
Not too many would note the irony that while police make hundreds of arrests for relatively minor offenses (e.g., disturbing the peace) — which usually end up being dismissed in court — within the confines of the buildings high above the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters there is rampant criminality. I mean this literally, for over the years the “top 1%” has indeed engaged in some of the worst crimes, destroying millions of lives while raiding the U.S. treasury of trillions of dollars. As…
Blog Oct 31, 2011
Time for juvenile justice reform
After 5 years, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) hosted their most successful national conference with over 3,000 registrants from across the country this year. From October 12th through October 14th, OJJDP presented over 65 workshops, utilizing 11 distinct tracks. The tracks provided particular perspectives, such as those specifically tailored for funders, law enforcement, and tribal communities, but also included more over-arching juvenile justice topics to…
The most definitive answer I heard to this question at today’s panel on Realignment, sponsored by the Warren Institute on Law and Policy at UC Berkeley, was “no one knows.” The outcomes of criminal justice realignment are still unclear as it recently went into effect October 1st. Other factors include the difficulties in knowing how many offenders realignment will actually affect due to the specificity of offender categories outlined for local supervision and “justice by geography.” By…
Blog Oct 25, 2011
Is Wall Street a gang? Part I
By now just about everyone has become aware of the social movement known as Occupy Wall Street . It has occurred to me that one of the justifications for this movement is the massive amount of fraud committed by various corporations that constitute what is known as “Wall Street” in addition to crimes linked to specific individuals rather than corporations. I am in the middle of updating my book on gangs and in the process have included a discussion of what exactly is a “gang” and it…
Blog Oct 21, 2011
Audio broadcast “It’s all business” out now
It’s all business is a short broadcast that discusses the role lobbying firms play in exacerbating the current prison crisis in California. Lobbying firms represent special interest groups in California, promoting and opposing legislation based on the agenda of their clients. These firms specialize in strategic political marketing both to the legislature and to the public through the media. This broadcast aims to highlight the influential role lobbying firms play in shaping…