MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'criminal justice system'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:55:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532190&cid=t_228904_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fr9Nm4-WAS3U%2F By David RittgersYou are probably familiar with the story of Brian Aitken, the responsible gun owner wrongly convicted of violating New Jersey’s draconian gun laws. Governor Chris Christie commuted Aitken’s sentence, and his appeal is still pending. As Radley Balko often says, libertarianism happens to people. It happened to Brian Aitken: Aitken never thought of himself as a libertarian, but two years in the clutches of the state system has changed him completely. Before the arrest, the young, apolitical entrepreneur was on his way to a successful career in digital marketing. “I never considered myself a person who is really interested in politics,” Aitken says. “But after all this happened I am definitely a hardcore libertarian now.” Read the whole thing. Libertarianism Happen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532190 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:15:25 +0100 4532190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482826&cid=t_228904_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F15%2Fpunishment-a-cultural-phenomenon%2F We are a culture that believes in punishment. Not just for the criminal or the misbehaving child, but in almost every interaction we have, from our intimate partners to our global enemies and friends. We don’t just see punishment as a deterrent. We think punishment works to change another’s behavior. Just look around. Take a closer look at how you approach a difficult conversation. We all do it. We use punishment all of the time. We don’t even think about it. Punishment is a completely ineffective way to change anyone’s behavior. Punishment simply breeds punishment-avoidance — and what we resist persists. In spite of ongoing and frequent evidence to the contrary, Americans rely on punishment to effect positive change in all areas of our lives. From our child-rearing prac... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482826 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:31:57 +0100 4482826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460005&cid=t_228904_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Fcan-you-fake-feeling-remorse%2F An offender in the criminal justice system often seeks to portray themselves as feeling remorse, especially when it comes time for sentencing in front of a judge, or parole hearings and the like. It may be easier to relate to someone who feels genuinely sorry for their crime. And it may be easier to show some mercy to a person who appears to be displaying genuine remorse. Deception is also a good part of any skilled criminal’s behavioral toolkit, because dumb, honest criminals don’t usually last long. So how can you detect whether someone is feeling genuine remorse, versus deceptive remorse in order to gain some favor with another person? Canadian researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Memorial University of Newfoundland set to find out. In the first inve... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460005 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:07:29 +0100 4460005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459939&cid=t_228904_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F15JGehVfEHQ%2F By David RittgersThe American criminal justice system has long been flawed. This probably isn’t news to you. What is news is the emergence of a broad chorus of organizations and leaders from across the political spectrum speaking out in support of serious reform. A few examples: The Smart on Crime Coalition released its recommendations (and in pdf) for the 112th Congress, providing ways that the federal government can help fix the criminal justice system. Congress creates, on average, a new criminal offense every week. The urge to overcriminalize just about everything needs to be replaced with serious thought about how broadly Congress writes laws so that the drive to lock up a few bad actors does not make felons of a large portion of the citizenry. The Smart on Crime report also points ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459939 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:00:12 +0100 4459939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277818&cid=t_228904_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCn2VmIrRHiY%2F By David RittgersNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie has commuted the seven-year sentence of Brian Aitken, the man wrongfully convicted on firearms charges under that state’s draconian gun laws. Good. While a full pardon seems more appropriate – the judge in this case should have given the jury instructions on the “moving exception” that protected Aitken – this is at least recognition of an injustice and relief for one man and his family. The New Jersey state judicial system’s webpage describes the grand jury’s function as “a screening mechanism to protect citizens from unfounded charges.” That didn’t happen in this case. For more on this phenomenon, read this Cato Policy Analysis, “A Grand Façade: How the Grand Jury Was Captured by the Government.” For more Cato wo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277818 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:29:49 +0100 4277818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519443&cid=t_228904_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fz1w3UqPpt48%2F By Gene HealyThat’s what my colleague Tim Lynch’s 2009 volume In the Name of Justice is, according to a glowing review in the new edition of the Loyola Law Review. Tim’s  probably too modest to link it himself, so I’ll do that here. In the review, Professor Laurie L. Levenson of Loyola Law School writes: I have been teaching criminal law for more than twenty years and the one question I predictably get from my students every year is, “Why do we have to read so much?” Sometimes they add, “Isn’t there one book—one article—that explains all of criminal law?” Ordinarily, I just smile and assign them more reading. However, the recent book, In the Name of Justice reminded me that there is such a work. This book raises nearly every import... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519443 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:10:59 +0100 3519443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322345&cid=t_228904_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0UC1gBFocaw%2F By Julian SanchezI’ve been meaning to follow up on Gene Healy’s post from last week on the interrogation and prosecution of terror suspects.  I share Gene’s bemusement at the howls emanating from Republicans who have abruptly decided that George Bush’s longstanding policy of dealing with terrorism cases through the criminal justice system is unacceptable with a Democrat in the White House.  But I also think it’s worth stressing that the arguments being offered — both in the specific case of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and more generally — aren’t very persuasive even if we suppose that they’re not politically motivated. Two caveats.  First, folks on both sides would do well to take initial reports about the degree of cooperation terror ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322345 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:45:01 +0100 3322345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2734244&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2Fliveblogging-primetime-outsiders%2F All the below is about this show. Madigan: They didn’t flatter you with that lighting. David Oaks: You’re looking so handsome! I had no idea. Your eyebrows are very sexy. (I’m completely sincere.) “But critics worry …” That’s journalism-speak for “We don’t have any specific sources who say this, but we’ll generalize it so we have reason to [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2734244 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:08:27 +0100 2734244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719950&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F08%2F20%2Fcho-docs-released%2F As we know now, the man who committed mass murder at Virginia Tech, Seung-Hui Cho, was subject to psychological and psychiatric intervention several times while on campus. Some of what disturbed professors were plays like Richard McBeef, a takeoff on Macbeth that took things a little too far. On Wednesday, the university finally released the [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719950 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:44:13 +0100 2719950 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890920&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPWBlogs-Trouble%2F%7E3%2FeuJix1qaZQo%2F Friends, it’s been a long, long week (plus change) without you. I was feeling the bite quite keenly, but my mutable work situation — my departure from PW as a full-timer — meant a delay in tending to this blog. Now I’m back, and I have to say, it’s like a nice cold brewski on a really hot day. (Unless you’re in recovery from alcoholism, in which case substitute a cranberry spritzer or whatev.) I feel pretty good. Sleeping late(r) (since working at alt weeklies doesn’t exactly make you rise with the dawn) is nice, though I’ve been a little anxious. So there’s been a fair amount of Ativan consumption that will have my pharmacist givin’ me the fish eye next month. Aside from the fact that Bob Novak is dead (about which I feel nothing... The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890920 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:37:39 +0100 2890920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630351&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F22%2Fva-tech-mental-health-records%2F Coming soon to a headline near you: The mental health records of Virginia Tech Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people before turning the gun on himself. (That number still stuns me.) Apparently, a worker at the counseling center had taken the records home — I’m guessing to protect someone. And for whatever reason, they’ve just [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630351 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:45:14 +0100 2630351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2615381&cid=t_228904_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F18%2Fimprisoning-people-with-mental-illness%2F People with mental illness are increasingly ending up being imprisoned, rather than in the mental health care system where many of them belong. With the down economy, states and counties — who are primarily responsible for the health of the indigent — cut social services first. And with most public psychiatric hospitals long-since closed, people who have a mental disorder end up being warehoused not in hospitals, but in prisons. Yes, we succeeded in closing down the state mental hospitals. But we moved the population not to outpatient facilities, but to our prisons. Now, finally, people are realizing the short-sightedness of locking people with mental illness up, as the spiraling prison costs of doing so become a burden to cash-strapped local governments. In Philadelphia, a ne... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2615381 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:11:30 +0100 2615381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602210&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F14%2Fthis-didnt-have-to-happen%2F A woman gets picked up for shoplifting in Edison, NJ, and taken to jail. She’s 30. Things are not looking good. She’s from Somerset, NJ–not exactly a den of iniquity. Who knows what’s going on in her life? The end of this story should not be that she dies, in a jail, of suicide. This [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602210 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:10:41 +0100 2602210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598463&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F13%2Frip-mumford-morganfurther-explanation-of-mental-health-court%2F The Philadelphia Daily News had a good editorial on Friday about “sequential interception,” which is the approach taken both by the new mental health court and by the Crisis Intervention Teams that work within the police department. From that editorial: Unfortunately for Mumford Morgan, this unit was not called when police shot and killed him last [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598463 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:53:18 +0100 2598463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588423&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Fmental-health-court-round-three%2F Okay, below I issued a response to a general assertion about probation and parole. But to get Philly-specific, this idea is far from scary for offenders. In fact, it’s already in use, in a sense. From the Inky article: One reason the Mental Health Court concept was supported by such diverse parties as prosecutor Abraham and [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588423 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:21:05 +0100 2588423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588424&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Fmental-health-court-round-two%2F Yesterday I linked to a story in the Philly Inquirer about the establishment of a Mental Health Court here in Philly. A reader left this comment: Well that settles it, not moving back to Philly. MH Courts are just another form of forced drugging. Why not use parole and probation which are set up to do [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588424 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:03:18 +0100 2588424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2584377&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F08%2Fphilly-gets-a-mental-health-court-sweeney-calls-me-out%2F Damn — I can’t believe I got scooped by Philebrity on a mental health issue. Snap! But the truth is, this is a good thing. Yes, we will find a way to f. it up, but it’s a start. Tomorrow we’ll talk more about it. But it’s unquestionably a positive development. Philadelphia opens Mental Health Court (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2584377 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:19:19 +0100 2584377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2571180&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F07%2F02%2Fsuperb-advice%2F Thanks to advocate Fran Hazam for forwarding Dr. Lloyd I. Sederer’s article “Can You Trust Your Psychiatrist” from HuffPost. Citing influence from Big Pharma — and basically explaining the way the influence filters down to you — Sederer breaks down what you need to do to ensure the best care: First, be an informed consumer. Just [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2571180 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:55:39 +0100 2571180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2553219&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F06%2F29%2Fzoloft-made-me-do-it-try-to-kill-myself-and-murder-my-girlfriend%2F Despite the glib title of this ongoing TTWS feature (Blank Made Me Do It), there are some cases that are quite serious and upsetting. The one of Randall Robbins II is that kind of case, if only because it brings up–for the umpteenth time–this issue of those black-box warnings on antidepressants. From the L.A. Times: Randall [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2553219 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:16:01 +0100 2553219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464421&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F06%2F08%2Fpolice-brutality-warning-graphic-content%2F Officer seen striking mentally disabled man on video is placed on desk duty (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464421 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:06:50 +0100 2464421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2453166&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F06%2F05%2Fmental-illness-not-ideology-made-me-do-it-kill-the-abortion-doctor%2F Though I’m a died-in-the-wool liberal — and much of the time, radical — I’ve found it hard to believe that Wichita’s Dr. George Tiller was murdered because some right-wing ideologue had been driven into a pro-life frenzy by the likes of Bill O’Reilly. Much as I believe the right is responsible for many ills in [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2453166 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:26:51 +0100 2453166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406120&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F05%2F14%2Fits-all-about-sports-today%2F Ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz threatened to commit suicide and voluntarily admitted himself—so says FOX Sports. The background: Leyritz is free on bail while awaiting trial on DUI manslaughter charges for the late 2007 death of a restaurant waitress Fredia Ann Veitch in a two-car crash that occurred after the former Yankee was celebrating his 44th birthday. Leyritz [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406120 Thu, 14 May 2009 20:49:00 +0100 2406120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406123&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F05%2F13%2Fpower-corrupts-absofuckinglutely%2F Employees at a state school in Corpus Christi, Texas, forced mentally disabled residents to spar in late-night fight clubs, telling them if they didn’t, they’d be beaten or forced to go to prison. Below is a news report. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. This is the sickest thing I’ve seen in a long time. As someone on ABC [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406123 Wed, 13 May 2009 15:09:50 +0100 2406123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2387216&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F05%2F04%2Fupdate-on-rebecca-riley%2F Rebecca Riley’s doctor now the target of a grand jury (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2387216 Mon, 04 May 2009 15:33:19 +0100 2387216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376796&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F04%2F27%2Fi-feel-sorry-for-basically-everybody-but-not-this-guy%2F Philip Markoff Put On Suicide Watch: ABC News Unless he’s innocent. But I don’t think he is. (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376796 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:39:05 +0100 2376796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2358876&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F04%2F22%2Fabuse-of-mentally-ill-man%2F I often look on my iPhone at the AP’s Mobile News, which as a section called “Wacky.” Much of the time the stories are about a wild pig who bit a woman’s leg in her backyard, or a moose who made love to a lawn ornament. But yesterday I saw one that blew me away. [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2358876 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:33:15 +0100 2358876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349669&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F04%2F17%2Fgood-morning-america-et-al-mental-illness-made-her-do-it%2F Melissa Huckaby is charged with murdering and raping Sandra Cantu, a little girl in her care. In an interview with Good Morning America, her ex-husband is asked, insistently, about his ex-wife’s mental health. Check out the video of the interview here. I know it’s valid to ask about her mental state, but the way it’s done [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349669 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:55:23 +0100 2349669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2326837&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F04%2F09%2Fanimal-hoarder-speaks%2F You often see news stories about the poor wittle kitties who are kept in horrible conditions by some crazy person, but rarely are those people actually given the dignity of an interview. The public cares more about the cats than they do about the human being, who is, BTW, also living in those horrific conditions. Hoarders [...] (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2326837 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:51:41 +0100 2326837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232460&cid=t_228904_140_f&fid=34849&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrouble.pwblogs.com%2F2009%2F03%2F02%2Fwhat-if-someone-said-yes-we-fucked-up%2F Harris jury awards $3M in death involving excessive force They’re going to appeal. Unbelieveable. (Source: The Trouble With Spikol) The Trouble With Spikol blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232460 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:18:22 +0100 2232460