JPI Daily News Digest 8/1/12
Published: August 1, 2012
National: Is There Racial Bias in “Stand Your Ground” Laws? (PBS, DC)
The Florida killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen earlier this year, has brought national attention to the laws that allow people to use lethal force to defend themselves. At least 20 states have laws with provisions that don’t require civilians to flee from an intruder before fighting back, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Of those, eight states, all of them in the south, specifically use the phrasing, “Stand Your Ground.” That includes Florida.
CT: Pot Decriminalization Having 'Modest' Effect on Court System (Ridgefield Patch)
Judge Robert Devlin, Connecticut's chief administrative judge for criminal matters, recently told the Manchester Journal Inquirer that the change to state law that decreased the penalty for getting caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana to a ticketing offense has had a "modest" effect on the court system's time and resources.
MI: Juvenile mental health court being considered (Cheboygan News)
Very few Michigan counties have implemented the concept of a juvenile mental health court to aid troubled youths.
NY: Juvenile Justice Reform Leaves Teens Behind (CityLimits)
New York stands virtually alone among states in allowing teenagers to be tried as adults and sentenced to adult prisons. Amid a wave of juvenile justice improvements, these children seem to have been forgotten.
VA: No forgery charges against Richmond Juvenile Detention Center (CBS 6)
There’s another development in the investigation into Richmond’s troubled Juvenile Detention Center. Three months after Mayor Dwight Jones announced the city would close the center because of what he called “unsafe conditions”, the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is announcing it will not file charges over allegedly forged training records.
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Posted in Criminal Justice News