Guantanamo Detainee trial=Justice?

The first Guantanomo detainee to be tried in a civil court in New York was found guilty of one count but acquitted of over 280 other counts by a jury. See story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/nyregion/18ghailani.html

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani had been held for years before coming to trial for his alleged role in bombings of U.S. targets in the world. …

Justice Jeopardized

With the shrinking budgets of most state and local governments, the prosecution and defense functions in the courtrooms are threatened. Across the country, most prosecutors are funded by the local counties, while public defenders are increasingly funded by the states. Both functions are jeopardized.

At first, it seems obvious we need to support the prosecution function. After all, …

Why Don't Defense Lawyers Seek Justice?

Should criminal defense lawyers seek justice in court?

I had the wonderful opportunity the other week to be invited to speak to our local chapter of Sisters in Crime, a national writing group composed of both women and men dedicated to supporting mystery writers.

They asked me to talk about my experiences as a criminal defense lawyer over …

Crazy People Who Commit Crimes

Why focusing on mental health will decrease crime!

Have you noticed more street people lately? Wanderers, panhandlers, and even those bad musicians playing all over? (Careful there…I’m a musician and I always throw money into those open instrument cases, no matter how bad the musician!) How about the guy I saw yesterday sitting on a busy street wearing …