Monthly Archives: September 2011
Why declaring war on the undocumented is a really bad idea
By Alan Bean A federal judge has upheld key portions of an Alabama immigration law that will likely drive thousands of Latino students out of the public school system. Under the new law, public schools can now determine the immigration status … Continue reading
Filed under human rights, immigration, mass incarceration, Rick Perry, Uncategorized
Tougher sentencing laws = More guilty pleas
Tougher sentencing laws over the last several decades have resulted in fewer criminal cases going to trial. Instead, defendants are choosing plea bargains, rather than going to court and facing the possibility of harsher, lengthier sentences. The New York Times … Continue reading
Filed under mass incarceration, The politics of crime
Don’t know much about (civil rights) history
By Alan Bean Most American students know nothing of substance about the civil rights movement. When Julian Bond talked to school kids twenty years ago, no one could even tell him who George Wallace was (see article below). For much the same … Continue reading
Filed under civil rights history
Most Americans think crime is on the rise
Although crime rates have been falling for decades, most Americans think crime is getting worse. We have always felt this way regardless of whether crime rates are rising or falling. The Gallup poll featured below offers a few explanations. AGB Americans Still … Continue reading
Filed under crime rate, punitive consensus
Balko: Why Americans still support the death penalty
By Radley Balko It has long been the conventional wisdom on both sides of the death penalty debate that if a state or the federal government were ever shown to have executed an innocent person, we’d see a dramatic drop … Continue reading
Filed under death penalty, DNA testing, eye witness identification
Michelle Alexander on the execution of Troy Davis
Take a moment to check out this video of an interview with Michelle Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” and hear her response to the recent execution of Troy Davis. MW “What … Continue reading
Filed under death penalty, mass incarceration, New Jim Crow, Troy Davis, witness recantation
Troy Davis and the growing case against eyewitness ID
by Melanie Wilmoth The case against Troy Davis hinged on the eyewitness testimony of several individuals who claimed that Davis shot police officer Mark MacPhail. Many began to have serious doubts about Davis’ guilt, however, after several witnesses recanted their … Continue reading
Baptised in water, spirit and fire
By Alan Bean This post was written in anticipation of a Mustard Seed Conspiracy study dealing with the baptism and temptation of Jesus. Water baptism is a sacrament, “an outward and physical sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” In … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Elizabeth Warren on class warfare
by Melanie Wilmoth A recent video of U.S. Senate candidate, Elizabeth Warren, is circulating the internet with fervor. After watching the video, it’s easy to see why it’s such a hit. The video, a clip of one of Warren’s “Talking … Continue reading
Filed under economics
Officials won’t let prisoner read book on prisons and slavery
By Alan Bean An Alabama inmate is suing for the right to read a Pulitzer prize-winning book, “Slavery By Another Name.” The book chronicles the use of prisons and harsh treatment to maintain control over black citizens in the late … Continue reading
Filed under death penalty, prison reform, punitive consensus, racial history, Troy Davis
