07Jun 2023 by Charles E. Price
Consulate, nonprofits to provide legal aid to immigrants

Consulate, nonprofits to provide legal aid to immigrants

LEGAL
Wage theft and run-ins with law enforcement are top concerns for families 'living in the shadows' EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – It's seven simple yet powerful words: “You have the right to remain silent.” But that's a phrase that many migrants who come to Melissa Lopez's office have never heard of before. If they had, they would not be seeking help to avoid deportation or crushing another major legal problem. “State law requires that a person show identification. But the migrants we see don't know they have the right not to talk to the police; they think they are required to disclose all of their information,” said Lopez, the executive director of El Paso's Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services. "Most of the time, Immigration doesn't have the information they…
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03Mar 2023 by Charles E. Price
Police have ‘no record’ of whether Bryan Kohberger was offered an internship position months before the Idaho murders

Police have ‘no record’ of whether Bryan Kohberger was offered an internship position months before the Idaho murders

ATTORNEY
Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morningSign up to our free morning US email news bulletinThe Washington state police department that interviewed Bryan Kohberger for an internship months before the Idaho murders has “no documentation” regarding whether he was offered the position. The Independents filed a public records request with the Pullman Police Department earlier this year, asking for any documents relating to Mr Kohberger's application for the research assistantship for a public safety position. One of the core goals of the request was to determine whether Mr. Kohberger had been offered the position - as the department had previously declined to answer that question. A public records officer responded to the request with 10 documents on Friday - but with…
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03Aug 2022 by Charles E. Price
In criminal justice system, don’t sacrifice public safety for profit

In criminal justice system, don’t sacrifice public safety for profit

LAW
While the nation's imprisoned population has declined since peaking in 2009incarceration levels still remain extraordinarily high.Continued efforts to lower incarceration rates will stall unless we address the role that revenue plays in the daily operation of police departments, courts, jails and prisons across the country. So much of these entities' time and effort goes into generating revenue that the goals of pursuing justice and improving public safety often get pushed to the side.A new Brennan Center for Justice report delves into the interlocking economic incentives that underpin our justice system. Many of these practices rely on a simple calculus: More people in the justice system means more dollars for agencies, governments and contracted for-profit firmsSome of the revenue streams flow straight out of the pockets of the people who are…
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22Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price

Attorney General Bonta Releases 2021 Hate Crime Report, Highlights Resources to Support Efforts to Combat Hate | State of California – Department of Justice

LAW
Amidst surge in reported hate crimes, Attorney General urges local partners across California to recommit themselves to taking action Announces creation of a statewide hate crime coordinator position within the California Department of Justice Sacramento – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the 2021 Hate Crime in California Report and highlighted information and resources to support ongoing efforts across the state to combat hate. At 1,763 bias events in 2021, overall hate crimes reported in California increased 32.6% from 2020 to 2021 and are at their highest reported level since 2001. Reported hate crimes targeting Black people remained the most prevalent and increased 12.5% ​​from 456 in 2020 to 513 in 2021, while reported anti-Asian hate crime events once again increased dramatically, rising 177.5% from 2020 to 2021, and…
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20Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price

Cassidy Hutchinson testimony prompts reassessment of Trump legal culpability

LEGAL
The Jan. 6 committee's accumulating evidence against former President Trump, including testimony from White House aid Cassidy Hutchinson, has strengthened a potential criminal case against him and chipped away at his most likely defense arguments, legal experts say. Hutchinson, a former special assistant to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as the president, offered explosive testimony Tuesday, filling in gaps about officials' concerns over Trump's speech and determination to get to the Capitol that day — and how the former president pushed ahead on both fronts. It's far from clear that the Justice Department is considering any criminal charges against Trump, even as its Jan. 6 investigation gets closer and closer to those in his orbit. One of the biggest hurdles is that most prosecution pathways against Trump…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price

Justice Department Braces for Rise in Violent Crime

LAW
Yet the federal government, for all its vast investigative powers, plays a supporting role when it comes to fighting street crime. The Justice Department prosecutes major drug and weapons trafficking cases, provides technical support on gun tracing and the analysis of other evidence, and distributes billions in grants to supplement the budgets of local departments that are mainly paid for by area taxpayers.Over the past year, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has announced a series of steps intended to bolster efforts to counter rising crime rates. It comes at a time when the administration as a whole is anxious about the dire political implications of the perception that it is letting the situation spiral out of control.They include the creation of five “strike forces” that work with local law enforcement…
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