Author: Mick Mickelsen
When your blood pressure is spiking and your heart is beating out of your chest, it’s easy to forget your rights. No matter how many police or courtroom dramas you’ve watched, few things can truly prepare you for being taken into police custody or questioned by the cops. When your blood pressure is spiking and…
Extradition involves two countries cooperating to transfer an individual from one country to another to stand trial for a crime. Hollywood director Roman Polanski recently made headlines again when the Supreme Court of Poland rejected the Polish government’s request to extradite Polanski to the United States. The extradition battle has been ongoing since 1978, when…
Grand jury proceedings were originally designed to provide checks and balances against oppressive prosecution or potential witch hunts. If passed, a proposal that’s currently before Texas lawmakers would make it mandatory for prosecutors to share evidence that could help a suspect’s case with grand juries. According to a Texas Tribune report, two versions of the…
There is no question that flag-burning is controversial but should there be consequences when individuals choose to do so? Whatever your political leanings, you have probably heard numerous news reports about the aftermath of the presidential election, as well as the status of President-elect Trump’s transition into the White House. For Trump, who is a…
Some of the prisoners in the study were in solitary confinement for three or more continuous years. A new study released from Yale Law School and the Association of State Correctional Administrators casts doubt on the efficacy of solitary confinement. As many criminal justice experts have claimed for a long time, the report finds that…
One of the difficulties surrounding white collar crimes is that many people convicted of financial misconduct have no prior criminal background. White collar crimes have dominated news headlines in recent years, as the economy continues to struggle back from the 2008 housing crisis and subsequent collapse. Most recently, Wells Fargo drew attention and sharp criticism…
Those who oppose the law claim it has a chilling effect on the First Amendment. It may be hard to believe, but the social networking site Facebook has only been around since 2004. Since its founding, it has accumulated 1.86 billion monthly active users. The site has become a popular way to communicate with friends,…
It can be tough to put things into perspective when violent crimes dominate news headlines. According to the Pew Research Center, the public perception of crime rates in the U.S. is dramatically different than the reality. Crime has dropped by double digits since 2008, however, most people believe crime is actually getting worse. Here are…
In Congress, a member of the House has introduced a bill to make swatting a federal offense. In an era dominated by social media, it takes a lot to stand out in crowded feed of viral videos and the latest cute cat photos. Unfortunately, some social media users have tried to gain notoriety by carrying…
The student claims the defendant never told him he was HIV-positive. Recently, a Missouri court of appeals overturned the conviction of a man accused of deliberately withholding information about his HIV-positive status from his sexual partners. The case has raised several questions, including issues of race, sexual orientation, and privacy. As reported by the Washington…