Law Commons^™

The End Of Intuition-Based High-Crime Areas, Ben Grunwald, Jeffrey Fagan

Faculty Scholarship

In 2000, the Supreme Court held in Illinois v. Wardlow that a suspect’s presence in a “high-crime area” is relevant in determining whether an officer has reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigative stop. Despite the importance of the decision, the Court provided no guidance about what that standard means, and over fifteen years later, we still have no idea how police officers understand and apply it in practice. This Article conducts the first empirical analysis of Wardlow by examining data on over two million investigative stops conducted by the New York Police Department from 2007 to 2012.

Our results suggest …

Challenges Facing Judges Regarding Expert Evidence In Criminal Cases, Paul W. Grimm

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Fragile Promise Of Open-File Discovery, Ben Grunwald

Faculty Scholarship

Under traditional rules of criminal discovery, defendants are entitled to little prosecutorial evidence and are thus forced to negotiate plea agreements and prepare for trial in the dark. In an effort to expand defendants’ discovery rights, a number of states have recently enacted “open-file” statutes, which require the government to share the fruits of its investigation with the defense. Legal scholars have widely supported these reforms, claiming that they level the playing field and promote judicial efficiency by decreasing trials and speeding up guilty pleas. But these predictions are based largely on intuition and anecdotal data without extended theoretical analysis …

Criminal Adjudication, Error Correction, And Hindsight Blind Spots, Lisa Kern Griffin

Faculty Scholarship

Concerns about hindsight in the law typically arise with regard to the bias that outcome knowledge can produce. But a more difficult problem than the clear view that hindsight appears to provide is the blind spot that it actually has. Because of the conventional wisdom about error review, there is a missed opportunity to ensure meaningful scrutiny. Beyond the confirmation biases that make convictions seem inevitable lies the question whether courts can see what they are meant to assess when they do look closely for error. Standards that require a retrospective showing of materiality, prejudice, or harm turn on what …

Barriers To Entry And Justice Ginsburg’S Criminal Procedure Jurisprudence, Lisa Kern Griffin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

“The Judge Said, ‘Son, What Is Your Alibi …?” A Survey Of Alaska Criminal Discovery Principles, James Fayette

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Justice On Appeal In Criminal Cases: A Twentieth-Century Perspective, Paul D. Carrington

Faculty Scholarship

Criminal appeals was a hot topic in the 1970s, reflecting the politics of the Great Society and the development of the constitutional requirements of due process. There was then widespread agreement that the function of the criminal appeal was to assure that the appropriate judges were giving visible attention to all convictions to assure that they were justified. This paper will pose the question: what has become of that vision of a former generation?

Reality Check: How Practical Circumstances Affect The Interpretation Of Depraved Indifference Murder, John C. Duffy

Duke Law Journal

This Note examines the treatment of depraved indifference murder across the thirty-six states that include the concept in their criminal codes. The Note identifies the broad range of practical circumstances that shape the development of depraved indifference murder statutes, and argues that it is not possible to develop a single interpretation that will function effectively across all jurisdictions. Finally, this Note identifies the three most important practical circumstances that affect the development of depraved indifference murder statutes.

All Eyes On Us: A Comparative Critique Of The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, Jerome M. Maiatico

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Criminal Procedure Within The Firm, Samuel W. Buell

Faculty Scholarship

It seems improbable that the theoretical and doctrinal framework of criminal procedure, developed mostly through a binary model of the individual and the state, would fit without modification in the tripartite model of the state, the firm, and the individual that characterizes the investigation and sanctioning of criminal conduct within legal entities. This intuition—which has been underexplored in spite of heated public debate about the state’s practices in this area—proves correct. I develop some components of a framework for understanding procedure for individual cases of criminal wrongdoing within firms and generating insights to guide reform. The process of pursuing individual …

The Fifth Amendment And The Grand Jury, Sara Sun Beale, James E. Felman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Criminal Justice Collapse: The Constitution After Hurricane Katrina, Brandon L. Garrett, Tania Tetlow

Duke Law Journal

The New Orleans criminal justice system collapsed after Hurricane Katrina, resulting in a constitutional crisis. Eight thousand people, mostly indigent and charged with misdemeanors such as public drunkenness or failure to pay traffic tickets, languished indefinitely in state prisons. The court system shut its doors, the police department fell into disarray, few prosecutors remained, and a handful of public defenders could not meet with, much less represent, the thousands detained. This dire situation persisted for many months, long after the system should have been able to recover. We present a narrative of the collapse of the New Orleans area criminal …

Taking The Punishment Out Of The Process: From Substantive Criminal Justice Through Procedural Justice To Restorative Justice, Brenda Sims Blackwell, Clark D. Cunningham

Law and Contemporary Problems

If the punishment is taken out of the process, and the processes of criminal justice become effective at restoration--and if rigorous empirical research might show that a restorative process costs less money and produces greater public safety--that would be a result everyone would embrace.

Left Out, Louis Michael Seidman

Law and Contemporary Problems

Seidman presents information on the collapse of the progressive left's position on criminal justice. The faltering of the left in this area is due to inherent contradictions in their position which have weakened their stance overall.

The Consequences Of Enlisting Federal Grand Juries In The War On Terrorism: Assessing The Usa Patriot Act’S Changes To Grand Jury Secrecy, Sara Sun Beale, James E. Felman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Comparing The Scope Of The Federal Government’S Authority To Prosecute Federal Corruption And State And Local Corruption: Some Surprising Conclusions And A Proposal, Sara Sun Beale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Scottish Criminal Jury: A Very Peculiar Institution, Peter Duff

Law and Contemporary Problems

Duff describes and discusses the Scottish criminal jury. While the exact origins of the Scottish criminal jury are obscure, it is clear that it developed in tandem with, although in a different fashion from, its English counterpart.

Criminal Trial Juries In Australia: From Penal Colonies To A Federal Democracy, Michael Chesterman

Law and Contemporary Problems

The recent history of juries in Australia reveals an interesting clash between the endeavours of state and territory governments to reduce the costs associated with jury trial by various means and the determination of the High Court of Australia to reassert the traditional values and features of jury trial.

Europe’S New Jury Systems: The Cases Of Spain And Russia, Stephen C. Thaman

Law and Contemporary Problems

Thaman compares the provisions of the 1993 Russian Jury Law with the 1995 Spanish Jury Law, focusing on the effect of their implementation and reintroduction of the classic jury system on current problems.

The Canadian Criminal Jury: Searching For A Middle Ground, Neil Vidmar

Law and Contemporary Problems

Vidmar discusses the history of the Canadian jury and develops a profile of the Canadian jury today. The law and rationale behind the procedures involved in the "Bernardo" trial are also described.

The American Criminal Jury, Nancy Jean King

Law and Contemporary Problems

King describes the American criminal jury, focusing on those aspects of the institution that distinguish it from juries in other parts of the world.

Sidestepping Scott: Modifying Criminal Discovery In Alaska, Cameron J. Williams

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Federalizing Crime: Assessing The Impact On The Federal Courts, Sara Sun Beale

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the history of federal criminal jurisdiction and criminal enforcement, and reviews federal caseload statistics. The federal criminal caseload grew dramatically between 1980 and the mid-1990s, but this increase tells only part of the story. The federal criminal caseload has fluctuated widely over the past two decades, and the number of criminal cases today is about the same as it was in the early 1970s. Although criminal cases now account for only one-fifth of the federal caseload, they take a large and disproportionate share of federal judicial resources. In more than one-third of federal judicial districts, criminal cases …

Alaska Supreme Court And Court Of Appeals Year In Review 1994, Laura E. Fahey, Steven D. Moore, James P. Ursomarso

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reporter’S Draft For The Working Group On Principles To Use When Considering The Federalization Of Criminal Law, Sara Sun Beale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Too Many And Yet Too Few: New Principles To Define The Proper Limits For Federal Criminal Jurisdiction, Sara Sun Beale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Prior Similar Acts In Prosecutions For Rape And Child Sex Abuse, Sara Sun Beale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Rights Of The Criminally Accused, B. J. George Jr.

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

The Constitution Of Japan

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Criminal Joinder: An Analysis Of The Empirical Research And Its Implications For Justice, James Farrin

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.