@norademleitner
Writer, educator, lawyer, immigrant. Served as college president & law dean. Writing on problems — and ways forward — in criminal justice & sentencing and higher education, often with a look abroad for different approaches.
How are we treated to statements like „it isn‘t unusual for federal prisoners to be released early“? Barring special programs (and good time), it is very unusual. The level of false information about prisons sentences is frustrating.
@audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app writes we may see the end of executions of those convicted of felony murder but not guilty of the killing.
Isn't it time to end the felony murder rule? It serves no apparent purpose & is overly retributive. All other common law countries abolished it.
@rebeccamorrison.bsky.social column, written during the January protests in Iran, has an urgent message: We are responsible for revealing cruelty when we see it.
"We don’t need to be experts. We don’t need perfect policy solutions. What we need to be is a witness to what’s happening in our world."
Helena Rho (of "Stone Angels") on her struggles with social media. A beautiful guide for debut authors (and everyone else) who struggles with social media. @writersdigest.bsky.social
Not how commutations usually work. Governors and pardon boards tend to require extensive documentation of change, such as remorse.
Is that what others might call sports bras?
It may be news to the TX AG but women have been doing this for a very long time. In some cases they did it to protect their safety. Some things don't change much but without any historic knowledge, one wouldn't know.
What timing! These documents reveal so much about the US government then, including a lack of understanding of culture, history & language.
They also highlight the responsibilities of an occupying power that creates regime change. A blast from the past to the present.
We should have more conferences for fiction writers to provide needed outlets for far-fetched stories.
Language? Singular?!
More than the usual confusion for a Saturday.
Spoken like someone who doesn‘t speak a foreign language & knows nothing about them or about translations.
Violence in prisons is getting worse. Maryland has seen a record (&rising) number of prison murders. @conarck.bsky.social from @thebaltimorebanner.com & Todd Karpovich from @baltimoresun.bsky.social cover the crisis.
I am asking the legislature & governor to appoint an investigatory commission.
Yes! „The Alabama Solution“ is moving, harrowing & full of info about prison labor & prison conditions. And perhaps worst of all are the state‘s plans for the future.
If that were the interpretation of „imminent“ in self-defense law, we would not prosecute women who kill an abuser in their sleep.
Last line is not a legal defense.
This feels like an action movie without a plot line. Why are we bombing? Where are we headed? If the cinematography award were the goal, perhaps. But here real people, with real families, with future and pasts are dying.
What exactly are we winning?
👍🏻 no disagreement here
Couldn’t agree more. We have lost the purpose of pardons.
The “non-violent felony” offender language is entirely misleading in this case. We often have a single-minded focus on the dangers of violent crime. Yet, some non-violent crimes pose much more serious threats & dangers. But broad terminology camouflages nuance.
Spain in the morning, the UK in the afternoon. Did I miss a (former?) friend midday?
One of the curious issues not mentioned in the war against Iran is sleeper cells & attacks. Constant taking point during Bush II and the Iraq war.
On the European-US difference in crime, there is lots of property crime in countries like the Netherlands & Germany. But the streets are clean, drug prices affordable, and people overall trust in their retirement system.
Excellent piece by @johnkroman.bsky.social that highlights the important difference between crime & disorder and what to do about the latter. Spoiler: it isn’t the traditional crime fighting but a multi-prong approach, from healthcare to urban planning.
People in prison are under total control of the govt. medical services tend to be poor.
Now imagine being forced into a „treatment“ you don‘t want while your actual medical needs aren‘t tended to.
Are we adopting the policies of the worst govts who use prisoners for medical experiments?
For those who don’t remember Lech Walesa was the face of the opposition in Poland for years. No US bombing of Poland. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for years and led the resistance. No US bombing of South Africa.
Some comparisons don‘t fly.
In all of this reporting, let‘s lead with how this destroys what is left of international law. Self-defense & wars of aggression are two very different things. This wasn‘t about self-defense or defense of other.
Thanks for an accurate flow of events & timeline..
For all the mothers of teenage and young adult daughters 😀
When universities eliminate history,
Area studies & international relations courses & majors, that’s where we end up.