Law Commons^™

Urban Politics And The Criminal Courts, Milton Heumann

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Urban Politics and the Criminal Courts by Martin A. Levin

Bell V. Ohio, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Supreme Court Case Files

No abstract provided.

Objectivity And Habeas Corpus: Should Federal District Court Judges Be Permitted To Rule Upon The Validity Of Their Own Criminal Trial Conduct?, Marilyn L. Kelley

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

It has already been suggested that one of the main purposes of section 2255 was to provide a convenient forum in which the trial judge might testify, if necessary. That purpose is, obviously, contrary to the interpretation rendered in Carvell.

Beyond this inconsistency, Carvell suggests two significant issues: first, that it is highly desirable that the motions be passed upon by the judge who is familiar with the facts; and second, that the criminal trial judge is not likely to be misled by allegations in the 2255 petition as to what had occurred. The first issue raises the question …

Administrative Law: Due Process Requirements Of Notice And Hearing Apply To Native Claims Under Administrative Procedure Act; Civil Rights: Challenging Tribal Membership Ordinance; Criminal Law: Nor Prejudice To Indian Defendant Sentenced Under State Due To Additional Or Alternative Fina Authorized By Federal Statute; Due Process: Tribal Elections And The Indian Civil Rights Act; Environment: Standing Of Non-Indians To Challenge Validity Of Coal Leases On Indian Land; Evidence: Indian Concept Of "Toka" As Concerning Issues Of Provocation And Justification; Indian Civil Rights Act: Residency Requirements For Tribal Political Office Upheld; Indian Lands: Quiet Title Action By Indian Allottees Against Railroad Holding Easement In The Nature Of A Limited Fee; Jurisdiction: Adoption Where All Parties Are Residents Of An Indian Reservation; Jurisdiction: New Mexico State Constitution As Affecting Adjudication Of Indian Water Rights; Taxation: State Right Of Taxation On Reservations When Commerce Effectuated Between Indians And Non-Indians

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Woodson V. North Carolina, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Supreme Court Case Files

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Sentencing Reform: Emerging Legal Issues In The Individualization Of Justice, John C. Coffee Jr.

Michigan Law Review

This article will focus on the mechanics of the individualization process: the manner in which dispositional information is collected, the quality of the resulting data, and the methodologies employed for its communication to and assessment by correctional decision makers. This focus is important because another distinctive feature of the American criminal justice system is the severity of the sentences it imposes. Not only is the average length of sentences imposed on American offenders far in excess of that imposed in other Western nations, but there is considerable evidence that the average length of sentences has increased in direct response to …

Criminal Procedure--Recidivism--Constitutionality Of The West Virginia Recidivist Statute, Cynthia L. Turco

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Standards For Accepting Guilty Pleas To Misdemeanor Charges, Richard A. Kopek

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The guilty plea-not the trial-is the most common manner of disposing of criminal cases in America. It has been estimated that 90 percent of all convictions and 95 percent of misdemeanor convictions are the result of guilty pleas. Various reasons have been advanced to explain this heavy reliance on the guilty plea. For example, it avoids the drain on judicial resources that would occur if all cases had to be tried. In addition, it eliminates the risks and uncertainties of trials and permits flexibility in sentencing. Because of the prevalence of guilty pleas, there must be procedural safeguards to insure …

Mullaney V. Wilbur, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Supreme Court Case Files

No abstract provided.

Some Legislative History And Comments On Ohio's New Criminal Code , Harry J. Lehman, Alan E. Norris

Cleveland State Law Review

Having briefly outlined the history of the formal development of the Act, it is the purpose of this Article to discuss in narrative form the legislative process on certain key provisions which were the subject of much debate and disagreement. These areas of disagreement include murder and felony penalties, especially minimum sentences; capital punishment to conform to the U.S. Supreme Court's Furman decision as well as other changes; parole eligibility for those serving life sentences for a capital offense; early release on parole, also known as shock parole; eligibility for probation; definition of reasonable doubt and jury instructions on reasonable …

Sentencing: The Probation Officer, James Lowenthal

IUSTITIA

Sentencing offenders of the criminal law is a widely diverse and complex problem. Few guidelines are available for those upon whom the task has been thrust. Depending upon the jurisdiction, various parties are responsible for sentence determination: juries, administrative agencies, legislatures, and judges. Most jurisdictions, however, require the judge to make the final determination.' To aid in this determination, many jurisdictions, including federal district courts, require or permit judges to consider a presentence investigation report prepared by a professional probation officer. The use of these reports and recommendations are generally limited to felony cases or to specific crimes where probation …

Authorized Dispositions Of Offenders Under The New Kentucky Penal Code, Gregory M. Bartlett

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Pre-Sentence Reports: Utility Or Futility? A Report Of The New York City Board Of Correction, New York City Board Of Correction

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This article evaluates New York Criminal Procedure Law increasing the number of cases requiring pre-sentence investigations and reports by analyzing the consequences and benefits of pre-sentencing reports. The article focuses on the delays in the criminal justice system and urges the New York State government to undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system to determine whether plea bargaining is both the most effective and efficient method of achieving the system's goals. The article then suggests interim measures to be taken to alleviate delays produced by pre-sentence investigations.

The Reincarnation Of The Death Penalty: Is It Possible?, Yale Kamisar

Articles

Fifty years ago Clarence Darrow, probably the greatest criminal defense lawyer in American history and a leading opponent of capital punishment, observed: The question of capital punishment has been the subject of endless discussion and will probably never be settled so long as men believe in punishment. Some states have abolished and then reinstated it; some have enjoyed capital punishment for long periods of time and finally prohibited the use of it. The reasons why it cannot be settled are plain. There is first of all no agreement as to the objects of punishment. Next there is no way to …

Sentencing: The Use Of Psychiatric Information And Presentence Reports, Rutheford B. Campbell Jr.

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

It has become apparent that the two disciplines of law and psychiatry have a common "interface" in the field of criminal justice. Commentators generally agree that the administration of criminal justice is greatly aided by psychiatrists and psychiatric data. That is not to say, however, that the meeting of the disciplines has been without incident or misunderstanding. Problems have arisen because of divergent attitudes and goals of the professions. Some commentators say that the concerns of the two disciplines are not the same; others claim that much of the problem lies in the over-estimation of the certainty and reliability of …

A Handbook On Sentencing, Brian Slattery

Brian Slattery

Title X - Dangerous Special Offender Sentencing, Richard Levy

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Undoubtedly the most controversial new provision in the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 is title X. Title X authorizes a federal prosecuting attorney to notify the defendant and the court before trial that the defendant, if found guilty of the felony on which he is being tried, is in the prosecutor's opinion also subject to the dangerous special offender provisions embodied in the title. Should the defendant be judged guilty of the felony, he then will fall subject to an additional penalty beyond that received for the conviction if the judge finds that he qualifies as one of three …

Plea Bargaining: A Model Court Rule, Kenneth A. Kraus

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

It is not the purpose of this note to discuss the justification for the plea bargaining process, for it is clear that this system will of necessity be continued in the foreseeable future. Instead, this analysis is designed first to present the functional role, constitutional status and existing abuses in the plea bargaining process, and then to discuss the goals and the proposed standards relevant to reform of the present plea bargaining procedures. The culmination of this analysis is the proposed Model Court Rule for Plea Agreements in part III.

Sentencing: The Good, The Bad, And The Enlightened, Rutheford B. Campbell Jr., Bill Cunningham

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

In June, 1968 the Kentucky Crime Commission, in keeping with legislative instruction, made certain recommendations for a change in Kentucky's current treatment of crime and punishment. Within its report was a suggestion that sentencing in all non-capital criminal cases be rendered by the judge instead of the jury. Thus, it must be emphasized that this discussion is confined only to sentencing in noncapital cases.

The authors have arrived at a definite recommendation which is offered at the conclusion of the paper. It is our opinion that the suggestion outlined is not only the most efficient and proper but also the …

Criminal Law--Cruel And Unusual Punishment--Court Adopts Federal Tests, Larry C. Allen

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Appellate Review Of Legal But Excessive Sentences: A Comparative Study, Gerhard O.W. Mueller, Fre Le Poole

Vanderbilt Law Review

Classical penology was conceived in France in the eighteenth century, and then eclipsed all over the world in the nineteenth, when Lombroso conjured up the picture of the born criminal. It was finally laid to rest in the United States in the twentieth century. Its basic tenet had been simple enough: the legislature in its infinite wisdom would seek and find the appropriate punishment for every crime.This can be accomplished if a crime is defined narrowly enough, perhaps by the creation of subcategories of that crime, so as to encompass all potential perpetrators who will each incur the same amount …

A Sentencing Problem: How Far Is A Fall From Grace, H. H. A. Cooper

Cleveland State Law Review

It is now almost universally accepted that there are three possible bases underlying sentences imposed by the Courts, following some breach of the criminal law. These are generally described as retribution, deterrence and reformation. Occasionally these qualities are considered in combination under some such title as the "aims of penal measures." Another factor, ever present in a vague though influential form, now seems to be emerging from the shadows to assume more definite shape. Yet to materialize is its relationship to the other established, uncontroverted aims. The emergent element may conveniently be termed "public disapproval," under which may be subsumed …

Sentencing The Recidivist--An Ethical Dilemma, Theodore Sager Meth

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Criminal Law - Limitations On Use Of Habeas Corpus In Regard To Allowance Of Credit For Time Served Under Prior Convictions, Paul T. Wright Jr.

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Criminal Law--Court-Martialed Convictions--Second-Offender Statute, M. S. K.

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mild Punishments, Robert Mcmurdy

Michigan Law Review

If life, freedom, or hope be taken from man, he is ashes. Therefore we ought not to take away any of them lightly. But some, restraint or punishment is necessary. We often miss our aim, however,'by prescribing punishments that are too severe, whereupon human nature revolts, so that it is "impossible to combine certainty with severity," a lesson we have long since learned from the experience of England.