Capital punishment for non-violent offenses

40 years ago, the US started sending more and more kids to prison without hope of release, but today, it's far more rare – what happened?

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 24, 2023

Fourteen years old at the time, Osborne killed his father, then opened fire at Townsville Elementary School, killing a 6-year-old child and injuring others.

Key Points: 
  • Fourteen years old at the time, Osborne killed his father, then opened fire at Townsville Elementary School, killing a 6-year-old child and injuring others.
  • He was sentenced to life without parole, but his attorneys have asked that a judge “give Jesse some hope” of leaving prison decades down the line.
  • The judge ordered the defense to submit a detailed report by late June about abuse Osborne suffered as a child and his potential for rehabilitation.
  • He said the prosecution would have 10 days to respond, though no decision has been announced as of mid-July.

The ‘superpredator’ era

    • America’s history of marginalizing and criminalizing Black citizens primed the media and the public to accept his theory, as did several high-profile cases.
    • Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, well before DiIulio’s article, states had already been establishing harsher sentencing laws, even for minors.
    • Many laws from the “superpredator” era, however, are still on the books.
    • The U.S. is still the only nation that sentences children to life without the possibility of parole.

Shifts at the Supreme Court

    • Starting in the 2000s, the U.S. Supreme Court began to acknowledge that child offenders are different from adults.
    • In 2005, the court banned the death penalty for people under 18, and in 2010 outlawed life sentences for juveniles convicted of nonhomicide offenses.
    • In each of these decisions, the Supreme Court recognized that a lack of brain development makes adolescents, even those who commit serious and violent offenses, less culpable and more capable of change than adults.

State-by-state change

    • This change in attitudes has had clear impact on state laws.
    • Today, a majority of states have now banned or have no one serving JLWOP.
    • More than 500 people who received their sentences before these SCOTUS cases are still serving life without parole for crimes they committed as children.

The path ahead

    • Those I assist as a defense attorney often come from the same environments and tragic backgrounds as the victims I served as a prosecutor.
    • The primary focus of the juvenile court has always been rehabilitation rather than punishment.

PRESIDENT & CEO SHELTON J. HAYNES ANNOUNCES NEW 10-POINT PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN FOR ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Roosevelt Island, NY, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation President & CEO Shelton J. Haynes today announced a new 10-point plan aimed at strengthening public safety and re-affirmed RIOC’s commitment to improving the quality of life for island residents.

Key Points: 
  • Roosevelt Island, NY, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation President & CEO Shelton J. Haynes today announced a new 10-point plan aimed at strengthening public safety and re-affirmed RIOC’s commitment to improving the quality of life for island residents.
  • “Roosevelt Islanders expect a safe environment, and the measures we’re announcing today are designed to address a whole host of issues that are top of mind for our community,” said RIOC President and CEO Shelton Haynes.
  • Our 10-point plan takes into account all of the feedback we’ve received and will serve as our blueprint for island safety moving forward.”
    The 10-point Public Safety Plan includes:
    Newly formed Island Stabilization Team which have dedicated PSD foot patrols across the island to re-direct resources in the Southtown area and Main Street throughout the day.
  • In addition to other Island buildings, PSD will be conducting verticals in Building 460 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

U.S. Prison Population Rate At Lowest Level in Three Decades, Report Finds

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 11, 2023

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The U.S. incarceration rate dropped in 2021 to the lowest level in three decades, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The prison population declined one percent in 2021 after sinking 14 percent in 2020 largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest number was the eighth consecutive fall in the prison population, which has plummeted 25 percent since 2011.

Key Points: 
  • The U.S. incarceration rate dropped in 2021 to the lowest level in three decades, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
  • ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The U.S. incarceration rate dropped in 2021 to the lowest level in three decades, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
  • The prison population declined one percent in 2021 after sinking 14 percent in 2020 largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The latest number was the eighth consecutive fall in the prison population, which has plummeted 25 percent since 2011.

Richmond Criminal Defense Lawyer Prepares for Potential Changes in Law Aimed to Protect Families of Crime Victims

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 5, 2022

RICHMOND, Va., April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, proposed changes to Virginia law were announced that may affect access to vital police records.

Key Points: 
  • RICHMOND, Va., April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, proposed changes to Virginia law were announced that may affect access to vital police records.
  • After the 2019 mass shooting in Virginia Beach, families of the victims had a difficult time gaining access to police records.
  • After being a law for a mere eight months, lawmakers are asking for a change to protect victims and eliminate public access to criminal records.
  • Richmond criminal defense attorney Cody Villalon explains, "This proposed change in the law would eliminate public access to any closed police records to protect victims of crime."

University of Houston Law Center Professor Kaufman says bystanders should be liable for not intervening in certain crimes

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 26, 2021

Kaufman, who specializes in Criminal Law and International Law, is writing a series of articles, essays, and op-eds about bystanders and upstanders that will culminate in his next book (under contract with Cambridge University Press).

Key Points: 
  • Kaufman, who specializes in Criminal Law and International Law, is writing a series of articles, essays, and op-eds about bystanders and upstanders that will culminate in his next book (under contract with Cambridge University Press).
  • As part of his research, Kaufman has compiled the most comprehensive global database of Bad Samaritan laws , encompassing U.S., foreign, and international statutes.
  • Where such statutes exist but don't already apply to the serious crimes Kaufman has enumerated, he thinks the laws should be revised to do so.
  • In his recent research, Kaufman argues that awareness and reporting of serious crimes can be facilitated by technological innovations.

New American Institutes for Research Study Finds More Severe Suspensions Have Greater Negative Effects on Academic Outcomes, Attendance and Future Behavior

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Further, the more severe the exclusionary discipline, the greater its negative effects were on a students future academic performance, attendance, and behavior.

Key Points: 
  • Further, the more severe the exclusionary discipline, the greater its negative effects were on a students future academic performance, attendance, and behavior.
  • The research team used administrative data for middle and high school students attending New York City public schools from 2009 to 2018.
  • More severe exclusionary discipline had a consistent negative effect on middle school students future reported behavior.
  • This suggests that more severe exclusionary discipline does not serve as a deterrent to reported future misbehavior and, for younger children, may exacerbate reported future behavior.