Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Reconsidering Federal And State Obstacles To Human Trafficking Victim Status And Entitlements, Amanda J. Peters Apr 2015

Reconsidering Federal And State Obstacles To Human Trafficking Victim Status And Entitlements, Amanda J. Peters

Amanda J Peters

Federal and state anti-trafficking laws describe the victim in the process of criminalizing the act of human trafficking. Nearly half of all states adopt the federal definition of victim, which requires proof of forced, defrauded or coerced labor, whereas the other half narrows this definition thereby limiting the number of victims qualifying for state victims services. Using this definition, victims must prove their status before they can access victim entitlements. Even when victims prove their status, they may be denied traditional crime victim benefits like restitution and Crime Victim Compensation funds. In this way, their victim status may be rendered …


Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorder And Mental Illness In Criminal Offenders, Jayme M. Reisler Jan 2015

Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorder And Mental Illness In Criminal Offenders, Jayme M. Reisler

Jayme M Reisler

The high rate of comorbid substance use disorder and other mental illness (“dual diagnosis”) poses an enormous obstacle to public policy and sentencing in criminal cases. It is estimated that almost half of all Federal, State, and jail inmates suffer from dual diagnosis – a significantly higher prevalence than in the general population. Yet such inmates lack access to proper and effective treatments for their conditions. Several etiological theories have been put forth to explain the occurrence of dual diagnosis in general. However, virtually no studies have explored possible etiological reasons for the higher prevalence of dual diagnosis specifically in …


The Future Of Sex Offense Courts: How Expanding Specialized Sex Offense Courts Can Help Reduce Recidivism And Improve Victim Reporting, Catharine Richmond, Melissa Richmond Aug 2014

The Future Of Sex Offense Courts: How Expanding Specialized Sex Offense Courts Can Help Reduce Recidivism And Improve Victim Reporting, Catharine Richmond, Melissa Richmond

Catharine Richmond

Specialty sex offense courts are a nascent judicial innovation that seek to improve general public safety through reducing recidivism. Decreased recidivism results from swifter, personalized, experienced, and consistent judicial action that encourages sex offenders to take more responsibility and seek rehabilitative assistance. In these specialized courts, communities of stakeholders work collaboratively to prevent future crime. Although somewhat counterintuitive, specialty courts that offer such intensive and specific attention are often more cost effective and efficient than their traditional counterparts. This Note argues that sex offense courts should be expanded beyond the handful of jurisdictions where they currently exist, not only to …


Victim Impact Evidence: An Analysis On The Effect Of Victim Impact Evidence On The Sentencing Stage In Death-Penalty Cases And Potential Reforms, Kyle W. Kahan Jul 2013

Victim Impact Evidence: An Analysis On The Effect Of Victim Impact Evidence On The Sentencing Stage In Death-Penalty Cases And Potential Reforms, Kyle W. Kahan

Kyle W Kahan

No abstract provided.


Of “Just Systems” And Lotteries: Thoughts And Reflections On Maples V. Thomas, Ryan K. Melcher Aug 2012

Of “Just Systems” And Lotteries: Thoughts And Reflections On Maples V. Thomas, Ryan K. Melcher

Ryan K Melcher

In 2012, the Supreme Court handed down its seven-to-two ruling in the case of Maples v. Thomas, a sad tale of attorney-ethics disasters and a seemingly broken (assuming it ever worked) Alabama criminal-justice system. Although the Court held that the “extraordinary” facts of the case warranted excusing Maples’s procedural default in his federal habeas corpus petition (namely, his failure to file a petition in time), it did not make entirely clear whether this was a one-time-only deal or a “template” (as dissenting Justice Scalia asserted) for future petitioners seeking relief based on similar falters of their post-conviction-level attorneys. This Article …


Criminal Affirmance: Going Beyond The Deterrence Paradigm To Examine The Social Meaning Of Declining Prosecution Of Elite Crime, Mary K. Ramirez Apr 2012

Criminal Affirmance: Going Beyond The Deterrence Paradigm To Examine The Social Meaning Of Declining Prosecution Of Elite Crime, Mary K. Ramirez

mary k ramirez

Recent financial scandals and the relative paucity of criminal prosecutions against elite actors that benefitted from the crisis in response suggest a new reality in the criminal law system: some wrongful actors appear to be above the law and immune from criminal prosecution. As such, the criminal prosecutorial system affirms much of the wrongdoing giving rise to the crisis. This leaves the same elites undisturbed at the apex of the financial sector, and creates perverse incentives for any successors. Their incumbency in power results in massive deadweight losses due to the distorted incentives they now face. Further, this undermines the …


Crimes, Widgets, And Plea Bargaining: An Analysis Of Charge Content, Pleas And Trials, Kyle F. Graham Feb 2012

Crimes, Widgets, And Plea Bargaining: An Analysis Of Charge Content, Pleas And Trials, Kyle F. Graham

Kyle F Graham

This article considers how the composition and gravamen of a charged crime can affect the willingness and ability of the parties in a criminal case to engage in plea bargaining. Most of the prevailing descriptions of plea bargaining ignore or discount the importance of charge content in plea negotiations; in fact, one leading commentator has likened crimes to widgets insofar as plea bargaining is concerned. In developing its counter-thesis, this article reviews seven years (FY2003-FY2009) of federal conviction data, focusing on those crimes that produce the most, and fewest, trials, relative to how often they are alleged; the most, and …


Death Is Not So Different After All: Graham V. Florida And The Court’S “Kids Are Different” Eighth Amendment Jurisprudence, Mary E. Berkheiser Feb 2011

Death Is Not So Different After All: Graham V. Florida And The Court’S “Kids Are Different” Eighth Amendment Jurisprudence, Mary E. Berkheiser

Mary E Berkheiser

Death Is Not So Different After All: Graham v. Florida and the Court’s “Kids Are Different” Eighth Amendment Jurisprudence Mary Berkheiser Abstract In Graham v. Florida, the United States Supreme Court declared that life sentences without the possibility of parole for non-homicides are off limits for all juveniles. Following its lead in Roper v. Simmons, the landmark decision in which the Court abolished the juvenile death penalty, the Court expanded on its Eighth Amendment juvenile jurisprudence by ruling that locking up juveniles for life based on crimes other than homicides is cruel and unusual and, therefore, prohibited by the Eighth …


Private Criminal Justice, Ric Simmons Mar 2007

Private Criminal Justice, Ric Simmons

Ric Simmons

The past few decades have seen the rise of two very different alternatives to the traditional criminal justice system: private police and restorative justice programs. Each of these approaches represents a revolutionary paradigm shift as to how criminal justice is administered in this country—and yet each of these movements has been limited in its impact on the current criminal justice system. The privatization movement has been restricted to the law enforcement stage of the criminal justice system, while the restorative justice movement has been dependent upon state support. This Article argues that it is only a matter of time before …