Criminal Procedure Commons^™

Discipline And Policing, Kate Levine

Faculty Publications

A prime focus of police-reform advocates is the transparency of police discipline. Indeed, transparency is one of, the most popular accountability solutions for a wide swath of policing problems. This Article examines the “transparency cure” as it applies to Police Disciplinary Records (“PDRs”). These records are part of an officer’s personnel file and contain reported wrongdoing from supervisors, Internal Affairs Bureaus, and Citizen Complaint Review Boards.

This Article argues that making PDRs public is worthy of skeptical examination. It problematizes the notion that transparency is a worthy end goal for those who desire to see police-reform in general. Transparency is …

From Warfare To Welfare: Reconceptualizing Drug Sentencing During The Opioid Crisis, Jelani Jefferson Exum

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The War on Drugs officially began in 1971 when President Nixon decried drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” The goal of the war rhetoric was clear—to cast drug abuse and the drug offender as dangerous adversaries of the law-abiding public, requiring military-like tactics to defeat. Criminal sentencing would come to be the main weapon used in this pressing combat. In continuation of the war efforts, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was passed under President Reagan, establishing a weight-based, and highly punitive, mandatory minimum sentencing approach to drug offenses that has persisted in some form for the last …

Lead Us Not Into Temptation: A Response To Barbara Fedders’S “Opioid Policing”, Anna Roberts

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

In “Opioid Policing,” Barbara Fedders contributes to the law review literature the first joint scholarly analysis of two drug policing innovations: Seattle’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program and the Angel Initiative, which originated in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Even while welcoming the innovation and inspiration of these programs, she remains clear-eyed about the need to scrutinize their potential downsides. Her work is crucially timed. While still just a few years old, LEAD has been replicated many times and appears likely to be replicated still further—and to be written about much more. Inspired by Fedders’s call for a balanced take, this …

2018 Camp Courthouse Colloquy, United States Court Of Appeals For The Second Circuit: The Art Of Mediating Intractable Disputes, George J. Mitchell

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In 1974, the Civil Appeals Mediation Program ("CAMP") was established in the Second Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals as a pioneering initiative. CAMP is an integral part of the court's appellate process and provides mediation in suitable, counseled civil appeals that are eligible under Local Rule 33.1. In 2017, CAMP inaugurated the Courthouse Mediation Colloquy series to gather members of the judiciary, members of the bar, mediators, academics, and students in an informal, educational setting. The Colloquy features a distinguished guest engaging in a conversation with a representative of the court about aspects of mediation that are …

Judicial Conflict Resolution In Plea Bargaining As The Golden Mean Between The Adversarial And Inquisitorial Legal Systems, Golan Luzon

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This article seeks to develop a better understanding of plea bargaining as a mechanism of judicial conflict resolution in criminal law. Plea bargaining plays a significant role in both the adversarial and inquisitorial legal systems. The article examines how the plea-bargaining model is designed in both legal systems by comparing two civil law countries (Italy and Germany) with two common law countries (England and Wales and the U.S.). I argue that two developments-a mechanism similar to plea bargaining in inquisitorial systems and judges' participation in the criminal plea bargaining negotiations in adversarial legal systems-are part of the same phenomenon seeking …

Elder Restorative Justice, Mary Helen Mcneal, Maria Brown

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This article explores the viability of utilizing restorative principles to address elder abuse and recommends the continuing implementation of an "elder restorative justice" paradigm. Part I describes the widespread problem of elder exploitation and possible reasons for it, and Part II outlines current strategies to address it. Part III offers an overview of restorative principles, with a description of selected models. In Part IV, this paper reviews restorative approaches currently addressing elder abuse, and their benefits and challenges. Part V analyzes the applicability of the restorative models outlined above to the elder abuse context, assessing the most effective options for …

Brief Of Legal Ethics Scholars As Amici Curiae In Support Of The State’S Motion For A New Trial In State Of Missouri V. Lamar Johnson, John P. Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This amicus curiae brief, filed by a group of nationally recognized legal ethics scholars including Professor Jack P. Sahl, supports the State of Missouri’s motion for a new trial in the case of Lamar Johnson, who had been convicted of murder. The amici argue that overwhelming evidence of innocence, prosecutorial misconduct, and systemic failures in the original trial undermine the integrity of the conviction and necessitate judicial intervention. The brief emphasizes that the legal profession has an ethical duty to correct miscarriages of justice and that courts have an obligation to ensure fairness, even post-conviction. Drawing on principles of legal …

Self-Policing: Dissemination And Adoption Of Police Eyewitness Policies In Virginia, Brandon L. Garrett

Faculty Scholarship

Professional policing organizations emphasize the importance of the adoption of sound police policies and procedures, but traditionally doing so has been left to individual agencies. State and local government typically does not closely regulate police, and neither federal constitutional rulings nor state law typically sets out in any detail the practices that police should follow. Thus, law enforcement agencies must themselves draft and disseminate policy. This paper presents the results of studies used to assess the adoption of eyewitness identification policies by law enforcement agencies in Virginia. Policymakers were focused on this problem because Virginia experienced a series of DNA …

Federalization's Folly, Stephen F. Smith

Journal Articles

Overcriminalization and overpunishment are the two key features of federal criminal law today, yet the constant drumbeat to “federalize” criminal law has accomplished precious little in terms of public safety. The failed drug war proves as much: federal prosecutors have filled the nation’s prisons with low-level drug dealers and drug users serving long sentences, but drugs remain widely available at greater purity and lower prices throughout the land — and drug overdoses are at record highs. Instead of focusing on areas of federal comparative advantage, such as terrorism, international drug trafficking, and organized crime, federal prosecutors waste scarce resources “playing …

Judges' Misuse Of Contempt In Criminal Cases And Limits Of Advocacy, Peter A. Joy

Scholarship@WashULaw

This article examines the conduct of Judge Julius Hoffman and the defense lawyers, William Kunztler and Leonard Weinglas, in the Chicago Eight Trial. The article presents lessons from the Chicago Eight Trial about the limits of a judge's contempt authority against defense lawyers in criminal matters, and how far a defense lawyer may go in advocating for a client without being liable for contempt of court.

Immigrant Sanctuary As The 'Old Normal': A Brief History Of Police Federalism, Trevor George Gardner

Scholarship@WashULaw

Three successive presidential administrations have opposed immigrant sanctuary policy, at various intervals characterizing state and local government restrictions on police participation in federal immigration enforcement as reckless, aberrant, and unpatriotic. This Article finds these claims to be ahistorical in light of the long and singular history of a field this Article identifies as “police federalism.” For nearly all of U.S. history, Americans within and outside of the political and juridical fields flatly rejected federal policies that would make state and local police subordinate to the federal executive. Drawing from Bourdieusian social theory, this Article conceptualizes the sentiment driving this longstanding …

Recognized Right Or Open Question? An Exploration Of Johnson And Its Progeny, Richard Simpson

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Quantum Of Suspicion Needed For An Exigent Circumstances Search, Kit Kinports

Faculty Scholarship

For decades, the United States Supreme Court opinions articulating the standard of exigency necessary to trigger the exigent circumstances exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement have been maddeningly opaque and confusing. Some cases require probable cause, others call for reasonable suspicion, and still others use undefined and unhelpful terms such as "reasonable to believe" in describing how exigent the situation must be to permit the police to proceed without a warrant. Nor surprisingly, the conflicting signals coming from the Supreme Court have led to disagreement in the lower courts.

To resolve this conflict and provide guidance to law enforcement …

The Strings In The Books Ain't Pulled And Persuaded: How The Use Of Improper Statistics And Unverified Data Corrupts The Judicial Process In Sex Offender Cases, Heather Ellis Cucolo, Michael L. Perlin

Articles & Chapters

An examination of a range of judicial decisions involving sexual offender determinations reveals that, frequently, courts rely improperly on inaccurate and under-developed statistics as well as unverified and outdated information. This reliance, too often, underlies rulings that subject the sex offender to significant sanctions and loss of liberty. Additionally, the continuation of the testimonial script that all sex offenders are high recidivists, dangerous, compulsive and untreatable, contributes to the anti-therapeutic effect of shaming and humiliation. This results in isolation, seclusion, lack of dignity; also, it further trivializes the judicial process, and violates the tenants of therapeutic jurisprudence. Despite the “frightening …

The Illicit Antiquities Trade As A Funding Source For Terrorism: Is Blockchain The Solution?, Taylor Moskowitz

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Cyberbullying: Are You Protected? An Analysis And Guide To Effective And Constitutional Cyberbullying Protections, Mendel Forta

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Blood Antiquities Convention As A Paradigm For Cultural Property Crime Reduction, Derek Fincham

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

In 2017, the Council of Europe opened for signature the first ever international treaty aimed at policing cultural property. As more attention has been paid to the damage done by the theft, looting, and illicit trafficking of cultural objects, the Council of Europe has met this challenge with an ambitious convention, which aims to fill gaps in the current criminal laws. These gaps have too often been exploited by individuals in the illicit antiquities trade. The author had an opportunity to present his analysis of a draft version of the Council of Europe's Convention at a meeting held in Lucca, …

Managing Digital Discovery In Criminal Cases, Jenia I. Turner

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The burdens and challenges of discovery—especially electronic discovery—are usually associated with civil, not criminal cases. This is beginning to change. Already common in white-collar crime cases, voluminous digital discovery is increasingly a feature of ordinary criminal prosecutions.

This Article examines the explosive growth of digital evidence in criminal cases and the efforts to manage its challenges. It then advances three claims about criminal case discovery in the digital age. First, the volume, complexity, and cost of digital discovery will incentivize the prosecution and the defense to cooperate more closely in cases with significant amounts of electronically stored information (ESI). Second, …

The Purposes And Functions Of Exclusionary Rules: A Comparative Overview, Jenia I. Turner, Thomas Weigend

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The chapter analyzes the rationales for excluding relevant evidence with the aim of establishing the ideal type of exclusion system for each rationale. The authors then review to what extent individual legal systems have actually altered their legal rules in accordance with these ideal systems. An investigation into whether or not there are any consistent relationships between the ideal systems and proclaimed rationales is conducted. The structure of various exclusionary rules is also explored, as are other factors that may influence the law and practical application of such rules.

Algorithms & Instruments: The Effective Elimination Of New Jersey’S Cash Bail System And Its Replacement, David Reimel Iii

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

Until 2017, every state conditioned pretrial release on cash bail. Judges across the United States predicted the risk individuals posed of failing to appear and the danger to the community. As a result, indigent individuals waited in jails merely because they could not afford their bail. In 2017, New Jersey spearheaded the movement to change how the bail system operates by passing the Criminal Justice Reform Act (“CJRA”), which created an objective decision-making tool called the Public Safety Assessment.

Today, New Jersey judges are no longer required to speculate about the future decisions of individual defendants. Instead, the Public Safety …

The Left's Law-And-Order Agenda, Aya Gruber

Publications

No abstract provided.

Prosecuting In The Shadow Of The Jury, Anna Offit

Faculty Publications

This Article offers an unprecedented empirical window into prosecutorial discretion, drawing on research between 2013 and 2017. The central finding is that jurors play a vital role in federal prosecutors' decision-making, professional identities, and formulations of justice. This is because even the remote possibility of lay scrutiny creates an opening for prosecutors to make commonsense assessments of (1) the evidence in their cases, (2) the character of witnesses, defendants, and victims, and (3) their own moral and professional character as public servants. By facilitating explicit consideration of the fairness of their cases from a public vantage point, I argue that …

Investigative Delegations: Predictable Predicaments, Nancy Amoury Combs

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fourth Amendment Textualism, Jeffrey Bellin

Michigan Law Review

The Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of “unreasonable searches” is one of the most storied constitutional commands. Yet after decades of Supreme Court jurisprudence, a coherent definition of the term “search” remains surprisingly elusive. Even the justices know they have a problem. Recent opinions only halfheartedly apply the controlling “reasonable expectation of privacy” test and its wildly unpopular cousin, “third-party doctrine,” with a few justices in open revolt.

These fissures hint at the Court’s openness to a new approach. Unfortunately, no viable alternatives appear on the horizon. The justices themselves offer little in the way of a replacement. And scholars’ proposals exhibit …

Human Dignity: The Clandestine Factor In Prosecutorial Discretion, Tamara F. Lawson

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

Justice and human dignity have an organic and symbiotic relationship. The American Bar Association's Functions and Duties of the Prosecutor Standard 3-1.2(a) outlines that "[t]he prosecutor is an administrator of justice . . . [and] should exercise sound discretion and independent judgement in the performance of the prosecution function." The ABA standards further prohibit improper bias2 and proscribe a duty to report and respond to prosecutorial misconduct.3 ABA Standard 3-1.2(b) states: "The primary duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice within the bounds of the law, not merely to convict." 4 Although rarely openly discussed, I ask now, is …

Federal Guilty Pleas: Inequities, Indigence And The Rule 11 Process, Julian A. Cook

Scholarly Works

In 2017 and 2018, the Supreme Court issued two little-noticed decisions—Lee v. United States and Class v. United States. While neither case captured the attention of the national media nor generated meaningful academic commentary, both cases are well deserving of critical examination for reasons independent of the issues presented to the Court. They deserve review because of a consequential shared fact; a fact representative of a commonplace, yet largely overlooked, federal court practice that routinely disadvantages the indigent (and disproportionately minority populations), and compromises the integrity of arguably the most consequential component of the federal criminal justice process. In each …

Pleading Guilty To Innocence: How Faulty Field Tests Provide False Evidence Of Guilt, Kaelyn Phelps

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Taking Psychological Torture Seriously: The Torturous Nature Of Credible Death Threats And The Collateral Consequences For Capital Punishment, John Bessler

All Faculty Scholarship

This article explores how the death penalty and the indefinite nature of death row in the United States creates a constant threat of death, which can violate the United Nations Convention Against Torture’s prohibitions on death threats.

Long Term Effects Of Involvement In The Criminal Justice System: Mitigating Collateral Consequences & Tackling Voter Disenfranchisement, Symposium Session 1, Wesley Caines, Lucy Cutolo, Kendea Johnson

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The symposium examines the long-term effects of involvement in the criminal justice system, focusing on collateral consequences and voter disenfranchisement. It emphasizes the need for both prosecutors and defense attorneys to address these consequences early in criminal cases, as they significantly impact individuals' lives beyond direct legal penalties. The discussion highlights the importance of holistic approaches to mitigate these effects and advocates for systemic changes to reduce disparities and support successful reintegration into society.

Democratic Policing Before The Due Process Revolution, Sarah Seo

Faculty Scholarship

According to prevailing interpretations of the Warren Court’s Due Process Revolution, the Supreme Court constitutionalized criminal procedure to constrain the discretion of individual officers. These narratives, however, fail to account for the Court’s decisions during that revolutionary period that enabled discretionary policing. Instead of beginning with the Warren Court, this Essay looks to the legal culture before the Due Process Revolution to provide a more coherent synthesis of the Court’s criminal procedure decisions. It reconstructs that culture by analyzing the prominent criminal law scholar Jerome Hall’s public lectures, Police and Law in a Democratic Society, which he delivered in 1952 …