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A Dummy Cross Examination By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law The bizarre re-enactment of a gruesome murder that took place in a real trial rivals anything that you will see in moves, on TV or on the stage. GPS Devices and the 4th Amendment By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Can police officers track a suspect's movements by attaching a GPS device to the suspect's car? My New Book: Criminal Law: A Desk Reference By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law My new book Criminal Law: A Desk Reference explains criminal law concepts to non-lawyers in a down-to-earth and often entertaing manner. The article provides you with brief examples of the kind of information that the book provides. Strip Searches of Arrestees By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law In many localities, all arrested persons are subjected to a visual strip search before they are put into the general jail population. Is this practice valid, or does it violate the Fourth Amendment right to be "free from unreasonable search and seizure?" The US Supremem Court will probably decide this question soon. Prison Populations By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law The article presents recent statistics on the size and racial makeup of the US prison population. Early Morning Plea Bargains By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Research into a process called "decision-fatigue" produces helpful findings for criminal defendants hoping to secure favorable plea bargains. Adjusting to a safehouse: Sex trafficking survivor continues path to healing By : Hollycraw As a sex trafficking survivor, Sheila* knows first-hand the horrors of being enslaved to a man focused on getting as much economic return for the selling of her body as he possibly can. She has lived through countless rapes, beatings, verbal and emotional abuses, and every kind of demeaning sex acts imaginable. Mich. child sex trafficking: "Gruesome" is first case heard under stronger laws By : Hollycraw Hearings began yesterday in Detroit for the first case to come under the state's newly strengthened sex trafficking laws. Sedrick Leman-Isaac Mitchell, 32, known on the streets as "Gruesome" and "Roc," has been held for 13 criminal charges against two girls including: Two counts of Human Trafficking The Business of Torture By : Sam Vaknin The Czech Republic has issued licenses to export shackles, electric shock weapons and chemical sprays to six countries whose police and security forces are known offenders against human rights and have made use of precisely such items to torture detainees; Germany allowed the export of foot-chains and chemical sprays to three such countries; Equipment manufacturers in Italy and Spain sold “law enforcement” 50,000V electric shock restraints ("cuffs" or "sleeves"). The EU bans the trading of virtu Criminal Justice 101: Part V-Guilty Pleas vs. Jury Verdicts By : Laurie A. Gray, JD Criminal Justice: It sounds like an oxymoron. And the way the system works can feel anything but just to both victims and suspects. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the process and the underlying principles will help anyone, innocent or guilty, who finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the criminal justice system. This is the last in a series of five articles examining Criminal Procedure. Criminal Justice 101: Part IV-Initial Proceedings By : Laurie A. Gray, JD Criminal Justice: It sounds like an oxymoron. And the way the system works can feel anything but just to both victims and suspects. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the process and the underlying principles will help anyone, innocent or guilty, who finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the criminal justice system. This is the fourth in a series of five articles examining Criminal Procedure. Criminal Justice 101: Part III-Arrest and Pre-Trial Release By : Laurie A. Gray, JD Criminal Justice: It sounds like an oxymoron. And the way the system works can feel anything but just to both victims and suspects. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the process and the underlying principles will help anyone, innocent or guilty, who finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the criminal justice system. This is the third in a series of five articles examining Criminal Procedure. Criminal Justice 101: Part II-Formal Charges By : Laurie A. Gray, JD Criminal Justice: It sounds like an oxymoron. And the way the system works can feel anything but just to both victims and suspects. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the process and the underlying principles will help anyone, innocent or guilty, who finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the criminal justice system. This is the second in a series of five articles examining Criminal Procedure. Criminal Justice 101: Part I-Criminal Investigations By : Laurie A. Gray, JD Criminal Justice: It sounds like an oxymoron. And the way the system works can feel anything but just to both victims and suspects. Nevertheless, a basic understanding of the process and the underlying principles will help anyone, innocent or guilty, who finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the criminal justice system. This is the first in a series of five articles examining Criminal Procedure. Narcissistic Immunity By : Sam Vaknin Narcissists, like children, have magical thinking. They feel omnipotent. They feel that there is nothing they couldn't do or achieve had they only really wanted to and applied themselves to it. Sentencing Lessons from Tapia v. United States (U.S. Supreme Court 2011) By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law The US Supreme Court's unanimous decision in the case of Tapia v. United States offers a get-out-of-jail card to a prisoner convicted of immigration crimes. But beyond the prisoner's immediate circumstances, the case teaches us three important lessons about our criminal justice system. Prison Spawn: Sad Legacy Vested By : Paula Andrea Pyle This grave matter is of inestimable importance to me. I simply wanted to share it with you. Terrorists and Freedom Fighters By : Sam Vaknin Most freedom fighters are disgruntled members of the middle classes or the intelligentsia. They bring to their affairs the merciless ruthlessness of sheltered lives. Mistaking compassion for weakness, they show none as they unscrupulously pursue their self-aggrandizement, the ego trip of sending others to their death. Alcohol and Crime By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law The link between alcohol and crime extends well beyond the risk of a DUI. The Varieties of Corruption By : Sam Vaknin Corruption is often "imported" by multinationals, foreign investors, and expats. It is introduced by them to all levels of governments, often in order to expedite matters or secure a beneficial outcome. To eradicate corruption, one must tackle both giver and taker. The Morality of Child Labor By : Sam Vaknin Reports regarding child labor surface periodically. Children crawling in mines, faces ashen, body deformed. The agile fingers of famished infants weaving soccer balls for their more privileged counterparts in the USA. Tiny figures huddled in sweatshops, toiling in unspeakable conditions. It is all heart-rending and it gave rise to a veritable not-so-cottage industry of activists, commentators, legal eagles, scholars, and opportunistically sympathetic politicians. Reconsidering LWOP Sentences for Youthful Offenders By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law LWOP sentences (life sentences with no possibility of parole) can be especially harsh when meted out to offenders who commit crimes before they are 18 years old. This article looks at a way to modify LWOP sentences handed down to youthful offenders that protects society while encouraging youthful offenders to rehabilitate themselves. Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice By : Sam Vaknin Cannibalism (more precisely, anthropophagy) is an age-old tradition that, judging by a constant stream of flabbergasted news reports, is far from extinct. Much-debated indications exist that our Neanderthal, Proto-Neolithic, and Neolithic (Stone Age) predecessors were cannibals. Similarly contested claims were made with regards to the 12th century advanced Anasazi culture in the southwestern United States and the Minoans in Crete (today's Greece). Dying Declarations and the Confrontation Clause By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law How judges interpret the Confrontation Clause of the 6th Amendment to the US Constitution often determines whether people charged with serious crimes are convicted or set free. In the case of Michigan v. Bryant, decided in February 2011, the US Supreme Court made what could prove to be a crucial decision aboout the impact of the Confrontatin Clause on future prosecutions. Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism By : Sam Vaknin Organ harvesting operations flourish in Asia (in the Philippines, where it was briefly legal in 2007-8), in Turkey and Iran, in central Europe, mainly in the Czech Republic, and in the Caucasus, mainly in Georgia. Penumbral middlemen and surgeons operate on Turkish, Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Romanian, Bosnian, Kosovar, Macedonian, Albanian and assorted east European donors. Jared Loughner and the Insanity Defense By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Jared Loughner is accused of carrying out a horrific Tucson shooting spree in January 2011. Inevitably his lawyers will claim that he was legally insane at the time of the crimes. This short essay explains concerns that many people have about the insanity defense. Crime and Deportation By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law This article discusses the type of criminal activity that can result in the deportation of aliens who lawfully reside in the U.S. Criminal Acts and Omissions By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Two factors have to join together for a crime to result: a voluntary physical action and an improper mental state. Failure to take action may seem immoral, but in most situations it does not constitute a crime. A few exceptions to this general rule exist, however. Self-Defense By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law This article provides general background information about the defense of self-defense. People can use reasonable force to protect (a) themselves, (b) others and (c) their property. Employer Background Checks and Criminal Records By : Illinois Attorney Michael Helfand If you have a criminal record – or suspect that you might – there may be something you can do about it. If you’ve been arrested in the past, even if it was a long time ago, it’s worth looking into. Conviction or not, it could still be on your record. Traffic Ticket Stops- What Can Happen Next? By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Most traffic ticket stops are routine. But can police officers search you or your car or even arrest you for committing a traffic offense? Restitution By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Restitution Orders can provide crime victims with compensation for their economic losses. Government-sponsored victim compensation schemes supplements these orders. Shoplifting By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Find out why even though shoplifting is a relatively minor crime, people accused of shoplifting should seek the advice of a lawyer. Status Offenses By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law You can't be punished for who you are, but you can be punished for what you do. Classifying Crimes By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law This article briefly explains the differens between infractions, misdemeanors and felonies. You'll also find out about wobblers, and why a prison sentence might be more advantageous in the long run than a jail sentence. Sexting By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Sexting should not be treated as child pornography. Memorial Videos in Death Penalty Cases By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Memorial videos (visual records of murder victims' lives) are increasingly offered into evidence by proseuctors in death penalty cases. Is the Exclusionary Rule an Endangered Species? By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law The controversial Exclusionary Rule means that evidence that police officers seize improperly is inadmissible at trial. This article briefly describes the Exclusionary Rule and discusses a recent proposal for its elimination. Addiction, Recovery and Criminal Law By : Paul Bergman Expert in Criminal Law Substance abuse often leads to crimes and arrests. Revoery can help addicts turn their lives around while improving the outcomes of criminal cases.