Posts Tagged ‘Diane Dimond’s weekly crime and justice column’
Why Suspects May “All Look Alike” to an Eyewitness
How fair are criminal trials in America? How confident should we be that prosecutors have the right perpetrator and how much weight should be put on eyewitness identification of suspects? A growing number of states are now instructing their courts to encourage jurors to ask themselves these very questions. Many studies have exposed the frailties…
Read MoreMr. Session’s Doomed War on Pot
So, the federal government is going to crack down on pot, is it? Really? How exactly is that going to work? There are, what, more than 30 states that have either decriminalized it in some way, legalized medicinal marijuana (with a doctor’s recommendation) or out-and-out agreed to make it legal for recreational use?* I’m thinking…
Read MoreFighting the Opioid Epidemic From a Behind a Computer
Anyone remember when President Donald Trump declared America’s escalating epidemic of opioid addiction was “a national health emergency” that was ripping families apart? The announcement last October may have gotten lost given sheer amount of Trump news, but that declaration allowed the government to designate federal funds to fight the deadliest drug crisis this country…
Read MoreKeeping Guns Away From the Most Dangerous
Hooray! America has just set a new record. Want to guess what it is? Record breaking high school math scores, you say? Nope. Maybe a record number of workers pulling themselves out of poverty or a banner year for a decline in infectious diseases? No and no.
Read MoreToys That Can Spy
Beware the holiday gifts that can spy on you. Sound like an overly dire warning, you say? Well, in this ever-more-internet-connected world it might surprise you how many of those wish list gifts come with a tantalizing lure for criminals.
Read MoreSanctuary City Policies Can Put Us All At Risk
Laws are a necessary evil in civilized society. You obey the laws and the government will do its best to protect you and yours. But what happens when there’s a conflict between a state and a federal law? That is the situation across America today. So far six states: California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon…
Read MoreSo, Where’s That Wall?
It has been nearly a year since Donald J. Trump assumed the office of the presidency of the United States. So, where’s that wall he promised voters?
Read MoreLessons From Manson
This is not another column meant to revive the nation’s long fascination with Charles Manson. Countless articles have appeared about the evil and murderous mastermind and the seven murders associated with his name. This column is written to remind society what can create such a monster. By now you have likely read about Manson’s uncaring…
Read MoreHow Many Tyra Pattersons Are There?
It’s one of those criminal cases that makes you shake your head in disbelief. Within a few weeks 42-year-old Tyra Patterson will be released from an Ohio prison after serving 23 years for a murder she is now widely believed not to have committed. She will have spent more than half her life behind bars. …
Read MoreLet’s Ban Secret Sex Harassment Settlements
What do the late Fox CEO Roger Ailes, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, movie producer Harvey Weinstein, President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, comedian Bill Cosby and entertainer Michael Jackson have in common? Each man arranged to pay out beaucoup bucks to people who accused them of sexual assault or sexual…
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