Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons^™

Prison Housing Policies For Transgender, Non-Binary, Gender-Non-Conforming, And Intersex People: Restorative Ways To Address The Gender Binary In The United States Prison System, John G. Sims

University of Richmond Law Review

“[I]t was the end of the last quarter of 2019 where I was able to drop the lawsuit against the correctional officer who had sexually harmed me when I knew . . . that the carceral state is not the way for me to find healing . . . . I was not going to seek my transformation and restoration through this system.”

Each year, rhetoric and legislation attacking transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex individuals seemingly grows louder. Many political institutions in the United States perpetuate and enable the oppression of these individuals, one of which is the United …

Three Observations About The Worst Of The Worst, Virginia-Style, Corinna Lain

Law Faculty Publications

Much could be said about Virginia’s historic decision to repeal the death penalty, and Professor Klein’s essay provides a wonderful starting point for any number of important discussions. We could talk about how the decision came to be. Or why the move is so momentous. Or what considerations were particularly important in the decision‑making process. Or where we should go from here. But in this brief comment, I’ll be focusing not on the how, or the why, or the what, or the where, but rather on the who. Who are condemned inmates, both generally and Virginia‑style?

Crossing The Thin Blue Line: Protecting Law Enforcement Officers Who Blow The Whistle, Ann C. Hodges

Law Faculty Publications

Law enforcement makes headline news for shootings of unarmed civilians, departmental corruption, and abuse of suspects and witnesses. Also well-documented is the code of silence, the thin blue line, which discourages officers from reporting improper and unlawful conduct by fellow officers. Accordingly, accountability is challenging and mistrust of law enforcement abounds. There is much work to be done in changing the culture of police departments and many recommendations for change. One barrier to transparency that has been largely ignored could be eliminated by reversal of the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos. Criticism of the decision has …

Katz V. United States: Back To The Future?, Michael Vitiello

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Crimmigration: The Missing Piece Of Criminal Justice Reform, Yolanda Vazquez

University of Richmond Law Review

This article discusses the impact that the incorporation of migration enforcement has had on the criminal justice system and the way in which it has exacerbated pre-existing problems within it. Part I discusses the drastic expansion of the criminal justice system over the last forty years and the fiscal and moral costs it has had. Part II discusses how crimmigration has impacted the criminal justice system, its laws, policies, and practices during the last thirty years. Part III discusses the rise of the Smart on Crime movement and the goals of the criminal justice reform efforts to combat its detrimental …

Virginia Executioner To Wear A Cloak: Diversion From The Real Controversy, Paul G. Gill

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Digital Technology And Analog Law: Cellular Location Data, The Third-Party Doctrine, And The Law‘S Need To Evolve, Justin Hill

Law Student Publications

This comment explores how broader shifts in Fourth Amendment doctrine may affect the government's collection of Cell Site Location Information (CSLI) moving forward. It consists of three parts. Part I examines the technological underpinnings of cellular networks. The issue is frequently litigated, but few in the legal community have a real grasp on the technology. A nuanced understanding of the technology is crucial when examining the accuracy of CSLI or how the third-party doctrine ought to apply. This comment consolidates and simplifies the technical workings of cellular networks to enable better and more informed answers. Last, drawing on this understanding, …

Innocent Suffering: The Unavailability Of Post-Conviction Relief In Virginia Courts, Kaitlyn Potter

Law Student Publications

This comment examines actual innocence in Virginia: the progress it has made, the problems it still faces, and the possibilities for reform. Part I addresses past reform to the system, spurred by the shocking tales of Thomas Haynesworth and others. Part II identifies three of the most prevalent systemic challenges marring Virginia‘s justice system: (1) flawed scientific evidence; (2) the premature destruction of evidence; and (3) false confessions and guilty pleas. Part III suggests ways in which Virginia can, and should, address these challenges to ensure that the justice system is actually serving justice.

Reform Virginia's Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws To Remove The Profit Incentive And Curtail The Abuse Of Power, Rob Poggenklass

University of Richmond Law Review

Part I of this article will review the historical roots of civil asset

forfeiture law. Part II will provide a more modern history of these

laws and an overview of Virginia's current asset forfeiture

scheme. Part III will examine the criticism of Virginia's drugrelated

civil asset forfeiture laws and highlight due process concerns,

risk of abuse of power, and misallocation of priorities due

to the structure of these laws in Virginia. Finally, Part IV will

provide recommendations to reform Virginia's civil asset forfeiture

laws.

The President As Spiritual Leader: Pardons, Punishment, Forgiveness, Mercy, And Justice, Henry L. Chambers Jr.

Law Faculty Publications

The Constitution of the United States empowers the president of the United States to curtail or eliminate punishment for actual or possible federal criminal wrongdoing by issuing pardons. As the quotes that begin this chapter suggest, the nature of a presidential pardon is subject to dispute. A pardon can be thought to be an act of grace or an extension of the president's executive power to administer the criminal justice system, or something in between. This chapter does not resolve the issue, but considers the nature of the pardon power while considering whether or how the president can or should …

Protest Is Different, Jessica L. West

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Police Body Cameras: Implementation With Caution, Forethought, And Policy, Dru S. Letourneau

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Right To Counsel: Increasing Notice Of Collateral Consequences, Brian M. Murray

University of Richmond Law Review

This article responds to these questions by focusing on the primary roots of this justice issue, namely the prevalence of guiltypleas and the continued efforts of legislatures to increase the life- long price of a conviction. Part I begins with a discussion of these practical realities within the criminal justice system. Part II then examines the law of guilty pleas under the Fifth Amendment, including constitutional standards for valid pleas, and how current jurisprudence fails to account for the collateral consequences mentioned in Part I. Part II also discusses the right to effective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment, …

The Twilight Zone: Perspectives From A Man On Death Row, Gerald Dean Cruz, Leah Stiegler

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Executioner's Dilemmas, Eric Berger

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Pink Cadillac, An Iq Of 63, And A Fourteen-Year-Old From South Carolina: Why I Can No Longer Support The Death Penalty, Mark Earley Sr.

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Shot In The Dark: Why Virginia Should Adopt The Firing Squad As Its Primary Method Of Execution, P. Thomas Distanislao

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Interrogation Policies, Brandon L. Garrett

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Future Of The Death Penalty In The United States, Richard C. Dieter

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Police Body Cameras: Implementation With Caution, Forethought, And Policy, Dru S. Letourneau

Law Student Publications

This article will provide a workable initial implementation policy that would maximize the benefits of increased police use of body cameras, while minimizing the negative impacts. Part I defines police body cameras and explores their current use in and impact on today's law enforcement world. Parts II and III encompass some of the perceived benefits and anticipated challenges of increased body camera use. Part IV considers and recommends exactly where the responsibility of camera implementation should lie.

The Politics Of Botched Executions, Corinna Barrett Lain

Law Faculty Publications

In this symposium essay, I explore the politics of botched executions, discussing state responses to the latest round of executions gone wrong and the ways in which those responses matter. Part I recounts four botched executions in 2014 and the state responses that accompanied them. Part II makes three observations about those responses-one about states' fealty to the death penalty, one about backlash politics and the scope of the public relations problem, and one about the changing cultural construct of lethal injection in the United States. Part III explores how state responses to botched executions (or the lack thereof) might …

History Repeats Itself: The Post-Furman Return To Arbitrariness In Capital Punishment, Lindsey S. Vann

University of Richmond Law Review

Part I of this comment provides a brief review of Furmanandthe circumstances leading to the decision. Part II discusses thefactors indicating current arbitrariness and other recurring factors surrounding the American death penalty. Part III examines the development of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause since Furman. Finally, Part IV discusses how the Supreme Court should apply its contemporary Eighth Amendment doctrine to the current circumstances surrounding the imposition of the death penalty.

Automobile Consent Searches: The Driver's Options In A Lose-Lose Situation, Arthur J. Park

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

"Do you mind if I take a quick look in the vehicle?" This is a question that countless Americans hear every day, but very few citizens understand the ramifications of their answer. How long can the officer keep me here? What if there is something in my car that I do not know about? Can I be arrested if I refuse the search? This article will address the legal context surrounding consent searches of automobiles in order to provide some clarity to drivers and passengers that are put in this lose-lose situation.

Automobile Consent Searches: The Driver's Options In A Lose-Lose Situation, Arthur J. Park

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

"Do you mind if I take a quick look in the vehicle?" This is a question that countless Americans hear every day, but very few citizens understand the ramifications of their answer. How long can the officer keep me here? What if there is something in my car that I do not know about? Can I be arrested if I refuse the search? This article will address the legal context surrounding consent searches of automobiles in order to provide some clarity to drivers and passengers that are put in this lose-lose situation.

The Anatomy Of A Search: Intrusiveness And The Fourth Amendment, Renée Mcdonald Hutchins

University of Richmond Law Review

In this essay, I contend that when evaluating the constitutionality of enhanced surveillance devices, the existing test for assessing the occurrence of a Fourth Amendment search should be modified. Specifically, I suggest that intrusiveness should be unambiguously adopted by the Court as the benchmark for assessing and defining the existence of a search under the Fourth Amendment. Moreover, intrusiveness should be clearly defined to require an examination of two factors: the functionality of a challenged form of surveillance and the potential for disclosure created by the device.

The Process Is The Problem: Lessons Learned From United States Drug Sentencing Reform, Erik S. Siebert

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Business Of Punishing: Impediments To Accountability In The Private Corrections Industry, Stephen Raher

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

To understand the contemporary use of contractor-operated prisons, one must appreciate the political and economic developments which allowed privatization to enter the corrections industry. Accordingly, this article starts with a brief history of privatized corrections in the United States. The following section explores how the modem marketplace for private prisons has been shaped by two prominent dynamics-the emergence of a national market for prison beds and the massive expansion of the nation's immigrant detention system. The paper then considers the general implications of non-governmental prison operation, with a focus on how contractors have exploited their private status to the detriment …

The Business Of Punishing: Impediments To Accountability In The Private Corrections Industry, Stephen Raher

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

To understand the contemporary use of contractor-operated prisons, one must appreciate the political and economic developments which allowed privatization to enter the corrections industry. Accordingly, this article starts with a brief history of privatized corrections in the United States. The following section explores how the modem marketplace for private prisons has been shaped by two prominent dynamics-the emergence of a national market for prison beds and the massive expansion of the nation's immigrant detention system. The paper then considers the general implications of non-governmental prison operation, with a focus on how contractors have exploited their private status to the detriment …

Dusenbery V. United States: Setting The Standard For Adequate Notice, W. Alexander Burnett

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Petitions For Life: Executive Clemency In Missouri Death Penalty Cases, Cathleen Burnett

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

The thesis of this article is that low reversal rates mean serious errors are not being detected and corrected. The research will focus on Missouri, which has very low reversal rates of 15% in federal court and 20% in state court. The data to address this question comes from the clemency petitions submitted to the governor as the last step in the process of executing the death penalty. These petitions illustrate the range and magnitude of the claims of legal problems in one state. The clemency petitions provide the most complete and full statement of the condemned's case, because these …