One of the consequences of treating drug addiction as a crime rather than a public health problem is the damage done to many urban neighborhoods. Current policies have made drug dealing a profitable venture, so it is not surprising that people…
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Category Archives: Criminal Justice
The Accidental Advocate
Governor George Ryan was a career politician dogged by accusations of corruption, a pro-death penalty Republican who inexplicably became a champion of abolition. What could account for his conversion? Could it be that, as Governor, he was forced to abandon ideology and confront the realities of capital punishment in America?
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The Wrong Way to Protect Neighborhoods
One of the consequences of treating drug addiction as a crime rather than a public health problem is the damage done to many urban neighborhoods. Current policies have made drug dealing a profitable venture, so it is not surprising that people in neighborhoods where profitable ventures are rare choose to deal drugs. Well-meaning public officials want to help reclaim those neighborhoods for law-abiding residents–a laudable goal. But like the drug war itself, these efforts can be misplaced.
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A Piecemeal Federalism
The recent Supreme Court term has ended with a flurry of decisions, some of which can only be characterized, charitably, as troubling.
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Promoting Public Safety
Is the criminal justice system broken? If so, how do we best fix it?
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