Blog Feb 14, 2013
Charles Manson and the politics of fear
Forty-three years ago, Charles Manson and his “Family” of disciples brutally murdered nine innocent people in Los Angeles. The killings are among the most notorious in the nation’s history, and continue to haunt the public imagination. By March 3, Gov. Jerry Brown will decide whether to release one of the Family members, Bruce Davis, from prison.
Blog Feb 12, 2013
Part I: Trends in girls’ crime
Meda Chesney-Lind and I are currently updating our book Girls, Delinquency and Juvenile Justice (to be published by Wiley-Blackwell at the end of this year) and in this blog I want to report some updated information about recent trends in the offenses girls commit.
Now, despite the somewhat quixotic nature of the quest, Monterey County officials are working to come up with a more fact-based view of local crime and whether state prisoner realignment plays any role in it.
The White House recently announced the appointment of Robert Listenbee Jr. as permanent director to the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). OJJDP has not had a permanent director since 2009, with appointments regularly held up by political maneuvering in the U.S. Senate.
Justice-involved youth have complex histories that not only contributed to their delinquency but present challenges for rehabilitation. These compound factors exacerbate a lack of self-confidence, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, and mental health issues.
In the early morning hours of May 11, 2011, while sleeping on his living room sofa, Jeffrey Hall was shot dead from point-blank range. The killer was Hall’s son who had a long history of violence.
NCCD President Alex Busansky facilitated a conversation, between San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, on recent justice reforms in their respective jurisdictions. The topic is of particular relevance to reform-minded criminal justice professionals, given the transformational role prosecutors can play.
Blog Jan 31, 2013
CJCJ presents at WSC Conference 2013
On Saturday, February 9, 2013, CJCJ will present at the Western Society of Criminology Annual Conference in Berkeley, CA.
Data-driven analyses hold lessons for practitioners
On January 23, 2013, the San Francisco Police Commission held a public hearing to discuss the city’s arrest data. The result was a refreshing openness to examining the city’s arrest trends for racial disparities and a willingness to work with independent researchers in the community.
With the City of Oakland now bringing in a big name lawman to help fight crime — we have a look at his track record.
Jan 26, 2013
Realignment’s effect should be revealed
Gov. Jerry Brown’s “realignment” of the state’s penal system is a year old and he claims it’s been so successful in reducing prison overcrowding that federal judges should butt out, even though it hasn’t reached the mandated level of 137.5% of prison design capacity.