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Articles 31 - 60 of 171
Full-Text Articles in Law
From Sounds Bites To Sound Policy: Reclaiming The High Ground In Criminal Justice Policy-Making, Anthony C. Thompson
From Sounds Bites To Sound Policy: Reclaiming The High Ground In Criminal Justice Policy-Making, Anthony C. Thompson
Fordham Urban Law Journal
In this article, the author contemplates the way the criminal justice system is portrayed in the media and suggests how the media's emphasis on "sound bites" - which makes it difficult to separate fact from hype - has had significant policy ramifications. The author makes a point of exploring the many ways that conceptions of crime are formed and influenced, as well as how the media has shaped legislation. In the author's opinion, in order to curb the excessive influence of most mainstream representations of the criminal justice system, there must be some mechanism for oversight of both the media …
Excluding Coerced Witness Testimony To Protect A Criminal Defendant's Right To Due Process Of Law And Adequately Deter Police Misconduct, Katherine Sheridan
Excluding Coerced Witness Testimony To Protect A Criminal Defendant's Right To Due Process Of Law And Adequately Deter Police Misconduct, Katherine Sheridan
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Note argues that the Due Process Clause must protect criminal defendants from the admission of an involuntary statement made by a witness. Part I discusses the history of the use of involuntary statements, specifically the justifications for the exclusion of coerced confessions. Part II examines how various courts have addressed the issue and have come to different conclusions. Part III explains why involuntary witness statements should be excluded under the Due Process Clause in criminal trials.
When Is It Wrong To Trade Stocks On The Basis Of Non-Public Information?: Public Views Of The Morality Of Insider Trading, Stuart P. Green, Matthew B. Kugler
When Is It Wrong To Trade Stocks On The Basis Of Non-Public Information?: Public Views Of The Morality Of Insider Trading, Stuart P. Green, Matthew B. Kugler
Fordham Urban Law Journal
No abstract provided.
Inherently Female Cases Of Child Abuse And Neglect: A Gender-Neutral Analysis, Suzanne D'Amico
Inherently Female Cases Of Child Abuse And Neglect: A Gender-Neutral Analysis, Suzanne D'Amico
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Tabitha Walrond was a young mother who was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide after her two-month-old son died from malnutrition. This Comment examines how the portrayal of Ms. Walrond by the defense and prosecution, and in the media reflects gender stereotypes in the criminal law and society. The Comment posits the notion that Ms. Walrond was portrayed as either a good or bad mother and once so labeled, the judge, jury and prosecution view her as such, while ignoring her specific situation. As a result, a defendant such as Ms. Walrond may be treated either too harshly or too …
Databases, Doctrine, And Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Erin Murphy
Databases, Doctrine, And Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Erin Murphy
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Over the past twenty years there has been an explosion in the creation, availability, and use of criminal justice databases. Large scale database systems now routinely influence law enforcement decisions ranging from formal determinations to arrest or convict an individual to informal judgments to subject a person to secondary pre-flight screening or investigate possible gang membership. Evidence gathered from database-related sources is now commonly introduced, and can play a pivotal proof role, in criminal trials. Although much has been written about the failure of constitutional law to adequately respond to the threat to privacy rights posed by databases, less attention …
Instrumentalizing Jurors: An Argument Against The Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule, Todd E. Pettys
Instrumentalizing Jurors: An Argument Against The Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule, Todd E. Pettys
Fordham Urban Law Journal
In this symposium contribution, I contend that the application of the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule in cases tried by juries raises troubling moral issues that are not present when a judge adjudicates a case on his or her own. Specifically, I argue that the exclusionary rule infringes upon jurors’ deliberative autonomy by depriving them of available evidence that rationally bears upon their verdict and by instrumentalizing them in service to the Court’s deterrence objectives. After considering ways in which those moral problems could be at least partially mitigated, I contend that the best approach might be to abandon the exclusionary …
Moving Targets: Placing The Good Faith Doctrine In The Context Of Fragmented Policing, Hadar Aviram, Jeremy Seymour, Richard A. Leo
Moving Targets: Placing The Good Faith Doctrine In The Context Of Fragmented Policing, Hadar Aviram, Jeremy Seymour, Richard A. Leo
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The debate sparked by Herring v. United States is a microcosm of the quintessential debate about the scope of the Fourth Amendment’s exclusionary rule and ultimately the appropriate breadth of police authority and constitutional review by courts. Offering a new reading of the decision, this article argues that Herring reflects a healthy dosage of real politic and an acknowledgment that American policing is characterized by a fragmented, localized structure with little overview and control, and much reliance on local agencies. Part I presents the authors’ interpretation of Herring as a case hinging upon the question “who made the mistake?” as …
Introduction To Symposium: The Future Of The Exclusionary Rule And The Aftereffects Of The Herring And Hudson Decisions, Barry Kamins
Introduction To Symposium: The Future Of The Exclusionary Rule And The Aftereffects Of The Herring And Hudson Decisions, Barry Kamins
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article is an introduction the symposium, "The Future of the Exclusionary Rule and the Aftereffects of the Herring and Hudson Decisions," hosted by the Fordham Urban Law Journal. The symposium explored the effects of the Supreme Court’s decisions in Herring v. United States and Hudson v. Michigan—what the Supreme Court will do with the Rule in the future, as well as varying interpretations of what the Supreme Court should do. The federal exclusionary rule, which is approaching its 100th anniversary, was extended to the states almost fifty years ago by the Supreme Court in its landmark decision of Mapp …
The 'New' Exclusionary Rule Debate: From 'Still Preoccupied With 1985' To 'Virtual Deterrence', Donald A. Dripps
The 'New' Exclusionary Rule Debate: From 'Still Preoccupied With 1985' To 'Virtual Deterrence', Donald A. Dripps
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The justices of the Supreme Court have drawn new battle lines over the exclusionary rule. In Hudson v. Michigan, 547 U.S. 586 (2006), a five-justice majority, over a strong dissent, went out of the way to renew familiar criticisms of the rule. Just this January, in Herring v. United States, 129 S.Ct. 695 (2009), the justices again divided five to four. This time the dissenters raised the ante, by arguing that the Court's cost-benefit approach to applying the rule is misguided. For the first time since Justice Brennan left the Court, some of the justices appealed to broader justifications for …
A "New Beginning" For Adolescents In Our Criminal Justice System, Judith S. Kaye
A "New Beginning" For Adolescents In Our Criminal Justice System, Judith S. Kaye
Fordham Urban Law Journal
As I step away from the bench, I am feeling more than ever what Dr. Martin Luther King called “the fierce urgency of now.” Now is the time for all of us who care about justice in this country to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We may be in a moment of crisis, but as the saying goes, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. We urgently need to change our focus from jails and prisons to treatment, education, job training. So where is the “new beginning”? The “new beginning” is not a search for new …
To Act Or Not To Act: Will New York's Defeated Death Penalty Be Resurrected? , Diana N. Huffman
To Act Or Not To Act: Will New York's Defeated Death Penalty Be Resurrected? , Diana N. Huffman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Capital punishment has always been a topic of controversy in the United States. The debate about the death penalty, its value as a way to permanently incapacitate society's most dangerous criminals and its effectiveness as a deterrent to violent crime, has increased. This phenomenon is particularly visible in New York State, where, in 2004, the New York Court of Appeals struck down the State's death penalty statute as invalid under the New York Constitution. This Note describes the evolution of New York's 1995 death penalty statute, analyzing the way in which the state legislature could respond to the statute's unconstitutionality, …
Restorative Justice: How Law Schools Can Help Heal Their Communities, Rachel King
Restorative Justice: How Law Schools Can Help Heal Their Communities, Rachel King
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Essay argues that the justice system should establish a parallel system, using restorative justice, designed to "heal" those individuals affected by crime, but who are not the victim, i.e. the victim's family. Additionally, the author proposes that law schools should help develop this parallel system.
Loyalt's Reward - A Felony Conviction: Recent Prosecutions Of High-Status Female Offenders, Michelle S. Jacobs
Loyalt's Reward - A Felony Conviction: Recent Prosecutions Of High-Status Female Offenders, Michelle S. Jacobs
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article analyzes white-collar female crime and compares several high profile cases to those of regular female offenders. It uses government statistical data on female crime to paint a portrait of the female offender. It then compares the prosecution of "street-level" and white-collar female offenders. The Article discusses the prosecutions of Martha Stewart, Betty, Vinson, and Lea Fastow. The Article argues that these women often share a similar trait of committing the crime out of loyalty to a man engaged in wrong-doing.
A Lie For A Lie: False Confessions And The Case For Reconsidering The Legality Of Deceptive Interrogation Techniques, Miriam S. Gohara
A Lie For A Lie: False Confessions And The Case For Reconsidering The Legality Of Deceptive Interrogation Techniques, Miriam S. Gohara
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article reviews the law on deceptive interrogation practices, discusses empirical evidence of the role police deception plays in eliciting false confessions and argues that the law should circumscribe interrogation techniques that rely on misrepresentation to induce suspects into incriminating themselves. This Article also asserts that there are good policy reasons, in addition to the increasing exposure of wrongful convictions, which should encourage courts and legislators to proscribe the use of deception by law enforcement in a criminal justice system expressly designed to elicit the truth about a crime.
Sexual Minorities, Criminal Justice, And The Death Penalty, Michael B. Shortnacy
Sexual Minorities, Criminal Justice, And The Death Penalty, Michael B. Shortnacy
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article addresses the biases confronting sexual minorities in the legal system. The author calls upon the legal community including bar associations, judicial councils and conferences, and law schools to recognize that bias against sexual minorities exists and they should devote sufficient resources to allow for comprehensive study of this problem and for the education of the bar and the public. Furthermore, the Article points out that this bias against sexual minorities among key players in the legal system may actually be a factor in the imposition of the death penalty. The author points out the inattention this bias against …
Policing The Police: The Role Of The Courts And The Prosecution, Steven Zeidman
Policing The Police: The Role Of The Courts And The Prosecution, Steven Zeidman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article focuses on how, and whether, the component parts of the courts - judges, court administrators, and prosecutors - promote justice by actively and critically monitoring or overseeing the police. The author focuses on one of the most common forms of police corruption facing the criminal justice system - what has been termed "falsifications" which includes testimonial perjury, documentary perjury and falsification of police records. The author reflects on what judges and prosecutors have done to combat this form of police corruption and offers ways in which the actors within the criminal justice system can be more effective.
Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel, The Duty To Investigate, And Pretrial Discovery In Criminal Cases, Jenny Roberts
Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Assistance Of Counsel, The Duty To Investigate, And Pretrial Discovery In Criminal Cases, Jenny Roberts
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Unlike rules governing discovery in civil cases, which require that the two sides exchange most information about their respective cases, criminal discovery result in a much more limited flow of information. Many commentators, for many years, have called for the liberalization of criminal discovery statutes and rules. Indeed, some states have heeded the call. But about a dozen states follow the highly restrictive federal rule, which is premised in part on the idea that a defendant should not be entitled to witness names or statements for pretrial investigation, but rather only for cross-examination purposes should the case ever get to …
Conference Report: New York City's Criminal Courts Are We Achieving Justice?, Martha Rayner
Conference Report: New York City's Criminal Courts Are We Achieving Justice?, Martha Rayner
Fordham Urban Law Journal
On October 18, 2003, more than one hundred professionals from the five boroughs of New York City came together to identify, evaluate, and begin to solve some of the complex problems embedded in the culture, operations, and practice in New York City's Criminal Courts. The conference planners focused on five problems that have undermined the pursuit of justice in New York City’s Criminal Court system for decades. The first group, Arraignment Norms, Practices and Culture, targeted professionalism and justice at the first and often last court appearance for people arrested and charged with misdemeanor crimes in New York City. The …
Broadening The Holistic Mindset: Incorporating Collateral Consequences And Reenty Into Criminal Defense Lawyering, Michael Pinard
Broadening The Holistic Mindset: Incorporating Collateral Consequences And Reenty Into Criminal Defense Lawyering, Michael Pinard
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Over the past two decades, public defender offices across the country have broadened the range of defense services provided to indigent clients. These expanded services, some of which involve representing clients on related non-criminal matters such as housing and public benefits, are included in what is now commonly referred to as "holistic representation."' This form of representation strives to encompass the various underlying issues that often lead to clients’ experiences with the criminal justice system, with the aim of addressing those circumstances and preventing future criminal involvement. Holistic representation signals a paradigmatic shift in defense philosophy and ideology and has …
The Adjudication Of Minor Offenses In New York City, Ian Weinstein
The Adjudication Of Minor Offenses In New York City, Ian Weinstein
Fordham Urban Law Journal
American criminal justice is founded on overcriminalization and discretion. Our legislatures have long criminalized much more conduct than can be effectively sanctioned. American police and prosecutors have been granted virtually unreviewable authority (discretion) to allocate investigative and prosecutorial resources. Minor crimes absorb the bulk of our ordinary, local enforcement efforts and there is an endless supply of minor crime, which may be pursued. With minor offenses, discretion is critical at all phases. This article argues that criminal courts, where ninety percent of all cases are heard, could benefit from reform. The author argues for the development of the record so …
Should Public Relations Experts Ever Be Privileged Persons?, Deniza Gertsberg
Should Public Relations Experts Ever Be Privileged Persons?, Deniza Gertsberg
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Comment addresses the issue of whether, and under what circumstances, a lawyer’s communications with a public relations expert, whose advice is only valuable to the extent that it is communicated fully and freely with the attorney, will be protected by the attorney-client privilege. This Comment focuses on the role of public relations firms in the criminal law context, where constitutional concerns often arise. The author begins by laying out the history and background of the attorney-client privilege, and how the defense lawyer’s role has changed as a result of the rise of mass media. The Comment then goes on …
Are Collateral Sanctions Premised On Conduct Or Conviction?: The Case Of Abortion Doctors, Gabriel J. Chin
Are Collateral Sanctions Premised On Conduct Or Conviction?: The Case Of Abortion Doctors, Gabriel J. Chin
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Traditionally, collateral sanctions are viewed as civil measures designed to prevent undue risk by proven lawbreakers. If a collateral sanction were a criminal penalty instead, that would trigger constitutional provisions like the Ex Post Facto Clause, which would mean the sanction could not be imposed retroactively. This Article argues that collateral sanctions based on conduct and not conviction indicate a civil regulatory measure, but that when the sanctions only apply in the event of conviction, the sanction looks more like punishment. Conviction is not the only way to show risky conduct, and it is the conduct that civil sanctions should …
The Failure Of Local And Federal Prosecutors To Curb Police Brutality, Asit S. Panwala
The Failure Of Local And Federal Prosecutors To Curb Police Brutality, Asit S. Panwala
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Although police departments across the country have attempted to ameliorate the hostility between police officers and the cumminity, through careful screening of applicants, minority recruitment, and community policing, police brutality remains a problem within our urban cities. This Essay will first argue that police brutality is largely ignored. Second, it will examine the obstacles facing local and federal prosecutors in obtaining convictions. Then it will compare the advantages and disadvantages of delegating primary responsibility for these cases to the state versus the federal level. Finally, it will argue that, although there are obstacles and advantages for both local and federal …
Snapshots: Holistice Images Of Female Offenders In The Criminal Justice System, Jennifer Ward
Snapshots: Holistice Images Of Female Offenders In The Criminal Justice System, Jennifer Ward
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Essay attempts to pull together the various threads of thought regarding the relationships between gender, race, and class within the justice system, and suggests possible patterns that could be used to create holistic images of female offenders. Part I provides a brief overview of the various explanations used over time to account for criminal behavior by women. Part II details the ways in which gender can affect the processes of the criminal justice system. Part III discusses the impact that race can have on the female offender's experience in the system. Part IV briefly overviews the types of influences …
Starting Over With A Clean Slate: In Praise Of A Forgotten Section Of The Model Penal Code, Margaret Colgate Love
Starting Over With A Clean Slate: In Praise Of A Forgotten Section Of The Model Penal Code, Margaret Colgate Love
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Convicted felons have no realistic hope of full reintegration into society when jurisdictions do not provide for eventual removal of collateral penalties and when relief mechanisms are insufficient or ineffective. Because Americans are uncomfortable with such an unforgiving system and states are considering the economic burdens of such a system, jurisdictions should take steps to limit the scope and duration of these collateral consequences. This Article proposes a legal framework aimed to fully reintegrate an offender into society post incarceration. It urges a return to the reforms of the 1960s and 70s, the ABA Standards on Collateral Sanctions, and Section …
Determining The Retroactive Effect Of Laws Altering The Consequences Of Criminal Convictions, Nancy Morawetz
Determining The Retroactive Effect Of Laws Altering The Consequences Of Criminal Convictions, Nancy Morawetz
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article explores when laws altering the consequences of conviction can retroactively apply. It traces the roots of the current emphasis on plea agreements to the current confusion about how to determine retroactivity in cases involving quasi-economic transactions and those involving wrongful conduct. Using I.N.S. v. St. Cyr, 533 U.S. 298 (2001), it focuses on the open issue of the date against which new legal consequences are measured. Finally, the Article argues that reliance is an improper indicia of retroactivity for laws governing wrongful conduct and that the proper question is whether the offender had fair notice of the degree …
No Guns Or Butter For Thomas Bean: Firearms Disabilities And Their Occupational Consequences, Mark M. Stavsky
No Guns Or Butter For Thomas Bean: Firearms Disabilities And Their Occupational Consequences, Mark M. Stavsky
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Through the case of Thomas Bean, a firearms dealer convicted of a felony and subsequently denied his firearms license and right to possess firearms, this Article discusses the injustice that occurs when the law arbitrarily denies an individual his occupation merely because he is a felon. The Article argues that 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) gives the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms the power to review a petition to restore those rights but that Congress has rendered the statute useless by depriving the Bureau of funding to investigate such petitions. Because this denies individuals, like Bean, the ability to reenter …
Transformative Criminal Defense Practice: Truth, Love, And Individual Rights- The Innovative Approach Of The Georgia Justice Project, Douglas Ammar, Tosha Downey
Transformative Criminal Defense Practice: Truth, Love, And Individual Rights- The Innovative Approach Of The Georgia Justice Project, Douglas Ammar, Tosha Downey
Fordham Urban Law Journal
Georgia Justice Project has a unique approach to criminal defense and rehabilitation which is based on a relationship and community-oriented ethic. Focused on only accepting clients who are willing to make a serious commitment to changing their lives, the GJP ensures that the client moves beyond social, emotional and personal challenges that contributed to their legal problems. This article describes the unique factors of the GJP that have contributed to its continued success.
"Forgive Me Victim For I Have Sinned": Why Repentance And The Criminal Justice System Do Not Mix - A Lesson From Jewish Law, Cheryl G. Bader
"Forgive Me Victim For I Have Sinned": Why Repentance And The Criminal Justice System Do Not Mix - A Lesson From Jewish Law, Cheryl G. Bader
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This essay will critique the Georgia Justice Project's encouragement of confessions in the context of the secular American justice system via comparison with the treatment of confessions under ancient Jewish law. Specifically, this essay posits that the absolute prohibition on the use of confessions in a legal system firmly rooted in religious values recognizes the danger inherent in combining the act of speaking of one's sins for religious penance with the use of such confessions in the criminal adjudication process. The Jewish legal system avoids these inherent dangers by completely devaluing the accused's confession. The GJP, in contrast, merges the …
Abusing State Power Or Controlling Risk?: Sex Offender Commitment And Sicherungverwahrung, Nora V. Demleitner
Abusing State Power Or Controlling Risk?: Sex Offender Commitment And Sicherungverwahrung, Nora V. Demleitner
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This article addresses civil commitment of sexually predatory offenders. It first outlines the most common American approaches to controlling sexual offenders, then details the German concept of Sicherungsverwahrung and greater state control, and finally proposes adopting a modified German approach that assures proportionality and public safety without sacrificing individual liberties. The article concludes by arguing that criminal penalties and safety-based detention should both be seen as elements of social control, which requires that safety measures with clearly punitive components be recognized as part of the punishment process.