Archives for: November 25th, 2013

Racism in Drug Arrests: Blacks, Four Times More Likely to Go to Jail

Nov 25, 2013

There may be little or no difference between the amount of pot white and black people smoke, but there’s surely a huge gap between black/white drug arrests. According to a detailed report by the American Civil Liberties Union, black Americans are four times more likely to get arrested for drug use and possession. The data, collected from all 50 states and the District of Colombia, provides an accurate depiction of drug law enforcement by race and state.

It turns [...]

Buffer

Marijuana Arrests, a Total Waste of Resources

Nov 21, 2013

Drug Crimes

Although Colorado and Washington have decriminalized the use of marijuana and more than 20 states have allowed prescribing and limited possession of medical marijuana, the recreational drug still remains a sure ticket to prison in the rest of the country.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting statistics for 2012, there were 1,552,432 drug arrests nationwide, slightly higher than in 2011, among which nearly half were for marijuana possession and use. That’s one marijuana arrest every 48 seconds in [...]

Buffer

Christmas: ‘Tis the Season for Stealing

Nov 16, 2013

Theft

For most Americans, Christmas presents are found in Santa Claus’s generous bag or, at least, in the wallets of their friends and family. Some people, however, decide to take matters into their own hands and simply steal the goods they want to find under the tree on Christmas Eve.

One in every eleven people who walk through the doors of a store is likely to walk out with at least one item they didn’t pay for. Most offenders are amateurs [...]

Buffer

The Surprising Truth Behind Dating Violence

Nov 11, 2013

Domestic Violence

Even the most self-proclaimed “progressive” person has some deep-seated biases. For example, when someone says the words “dating violence,” most people automatically assume that a male committed some act of violence on a female. In late July, however, several new studies presented evidence to overthrow these nearly universal assumptions. At the American Psychological Association’s annual convention, researchers presented findings from the Growing Up with Media study, a collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and prevention. The study followed 1,058 [...]

Buffer

Innocent Until Proven Guilty: Four Arguments Of Self Defense

Nov 7, 2013

Criminal Defense

Preserving the personal safety of innocent people is a fundamental human right. The law does not require victims of a violent attack to stand still and do nothing. However, the dynamics of a defensive situation often involves all participating parties being arrested or at least detained initially. Situations involving the use of physical force against another person may result in a variety of different charges, ranging from misdemeanors like simple assault or simple battery to capital crimes like murder. Should [...]

Buffer