| You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor) |
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
A new kind of juvenile crime.
I've got to give them credit for ingenuity, at least. I mean, it's not your typical juvenile offense. And I suspect that the 44 year old and the 19 year old had some influence that caused the 14 year old to engage in such activity.
I've got to give them credit for ingenuity, at least. I mean, it's not your typical juvenile offense. And I suspect that the 44 year old and the 19 year old had some influence that caused the 14 year old to engage in such activity.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Mandatory learning disability testing for Juvenile Detention Center admittees.
Thoughts?
My take...
This is key...Zahn will provide parents and the Cleveland school district with the psychologists' findings.
The same schools that don't have enough money to pay staff or time to address all of the many issues that their students face. So the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court is going to diagnose (aka label) and then cut them loose into the care of the school? I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound like that great of a plan.
And parental responsibility? You don't even want to go there with a lot of these parents. I worked in abuse, neglect, dependency cases for three years...prental responsibility is a pipe dream.
Again, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court shows that it doesn't fully comprehend the situation these children face every day. And again, in an effort to get good press, they're looking like they're doing something...without really doing much.
Thoughts?
My take...
This is key...Zahn will provide parents and the Cleveland school district with the psychologists' findings.
The same schools that don't have enough money to pay staff or time to address all of the many issues that their students face. So the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court is going to diagnose (aka label) and then cut them loose into the care of the school? I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound like that great of a plan.
And parental responsibility? You don't even want to go there with a lot of these parents. I worked in abuse, neglect, dependency cases for three years...prental responsibility is a pipe dream.
Again, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court shows that it doesn't fully comprehend the situation these children face every day. And again, in an effort to get good press, they're looking like they're doing something...without really doing much.
As someone who spent the better part of the past four months in a cemetery, I find some good justice in this punishment.
I hope they learn something.
I hope they learn something.
Even when I take time off from blogging, this crap is still going on.
My question is this...is protection really a valid reason for locking your children up in cages?!?!? Do these people think that makes it better?!?!
And shame on Children and Family Services and the Sheriff's Department for failing to investigate.
I'm appalled.
My question is this...is protection really a valid reason for locking your children up in cages?!?!? Do these people think that makes it better?!?!
And shame on Children and Family Services and the Sheriff's Department for failing to investigate.
I'm appalled.
House OKs tougher penalties for child sex offenders
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Jim Abrams
Associated Press
Washington - Child sex offenders would be subject to stringent monitoring requirements and face new mandatory penalties under a House-passed bill that was expanded to include protections for gays and lesbians under federal hate crime law.
The House voted 371-52 Wednesday in favor of the Children's Safety Act, which, among its many provisions, creates a national Web site for child sex offenders and stipulates that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements.
Only two Ohio lawmakers voted against the bill: Cleveland Democratic Reps. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Dennis Kucinich.
Unexpectedly, the House voted 223-199 in favor of an amendment by Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, that expands current hate crime law to include some crimes involving sexual orientation, gender and disability. Under current law, the federal government assists local and state authorities prosecuting limited types of crimes based on the victim's race, religion or ethnic background.
The Ohioans split along party lines on that part of the bill, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans voting against it.
The sex offender bill requires felony offenders to register for life and authorizes the death penalty for sex crimes resulting in the killing of a child. The bill responds to what House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, said was a "national crisis" in child sex offenses. He said that of some 550,000 convicted sex offenders in the nation, the whereabouts of 100,000 are unknown.
Sensenbrenner said the legislation would get favorable treatment in the Senate and he expected it to be signed into law by the end of the year.
The White House, in a statement, expressed support, saying that even though sex crimes against children have declined significantly in recent years, more needs to be done.
Among provisions of the bill:
It creates a national Web site and requires states to notify the federal government of any changes to a sex offender's registration information. States are required to notify each other when a sex offender moves from one state to another.
It requires each state to maintain a statewide Internet site to include such information as an offender's address, picture, vehicle and facts of his conviction.
It broadens the category of sex offenders to include any felony or misdemeanor sex offenses against minors. The category of crimes covered by the bill is expanded to include juvenile sex offenses and possession of child pornography.
Felony sex offenders will have to register for life, and misdemeanor sex offenders for 20 years.
It ensures mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes against children, ranging from death or life imprisonment when a child is killed and 30 years in prison for crimes involving kidnapping, maiming or aggravated sexual abuse.
It expands the use of DNA evidence to solve sex crimes.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Jim Abrams
Associated Press
Washington - Child sex offenders would be subject to stringent monitoring requirements and face new mandatory penalties under a House-passed bill that was expanded to include protections for gays and lesbians under federal hate crime law.
The House voted 371-52 Wednesday in favor of the Children's Safety Act, which, among its many provisions, creates a national Web site for child sex offenders and stipulates that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements.
Only two Ohio lawmakers voted against the bill: Cleveland Democratic Reps. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Dennis Kucinich.
Unexpectedly, the House voted 223-199 in favor of an amendment by Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, that expands current hate crime law to include some crimes involving sexual orientation, gender and disability. Under current law, the federal government assists local and state authorities prosecuting limited types of crimes based on the victim's race, religion or ethnic background.
The Ohioans split along party lines on that part of the bill, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans voting against it.
The sex offender bill requires felony offenders to register for life and authorizes the death penalty for sex crimes resulting in the killing of a child. The bill responds to what House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, said was a "national crisis" in child sex offenses. He said that of some 550,000 convicted sex offenders in the nation, the whereabouts of 100,000 are unknown.
Sensenbrenner said the legislation would get favorable treatment in the Senate and he expected it to be signed into law by the end of the year.
The White House, in a statement, expressed support, saying that even though sex crimes against children have declined significantly in recent years, more needs to be done.
Among provisions of the bill:
It creates a national Web site and requires states to notify the federal government of any changes to a sex offender's registration information. States are required to notify each other when a sex offender moves from one state to another.
It requires each state to maintain a statewide Internet site to include such information as an offender's address, picture, vehicle and facts of his conviction.
It broadens the category of sex offenders to include any felony or misdemeanor sex offenses against minors. The category of crimes covered by the bill is expanded to include juvenile sex offenses and possession of child pornography.
Felony sex offenders will have to register for life, and misdemeanor sex offenders for 20 years.
It ensures mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes against children, ranging from death or life imprisonment when a child is killed and 30 years in prison for crimes involving kidnapping, maiming or aggravated sexual abuse.
It expands the use of DNA evidence to solve sex crimes.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Death penalty for juveniles ruled unconstitutional.
We are FINALLY distanced from countries like Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia. Hard to believe we kept such company for so long.
"The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote.
We are FINALLY distanced from countries like Iran, Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia. Hard to believe we kept such company for so long.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Boo hiss! The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office thinks they have to BUY a dog for their K9 unit. I think maybe I might have to drop them a line about the value of rescue animals. I even know a rescue that trains for police departments. Heck of a lot cheaper...and you're not contributing to puppy mill business. Think about it.
Isn't this an strange predicament? By suing to end her ex-lover’s right to visitation with her son, a gay mom is essentially going against what the gay community fought when it protested passage of Issue One. She thought it was valid at the time...now she argues it isn't. I don't know that this is so much about gay marriage as it is about this mother's ability to make up her mind.
While I can admire the personal respect Morrow County Prosecutor Charles Howland was trying to give the family, I have to wonder why he doesn't just get into the journalism business if he's so worried about making ethical decisions on what to air. You can't interject personal respect into the law when it suits you...any good lawyer knows that.
An interesting twist of events in Sandusky County.
I've seen this before...in fact our county is falling victim to it right now. The court orders their budget paid (or whatever other order they feel like making), and every other office is left with a gaping hole of a defecit that they simply cannot deal with. Massive layoffs are a result.
Now I have to ask...what good does it do to make orders that insure the full-time operation of a court, if the result means layoffs to the sheriffs and prosecutors? The court can operate however it wants...but if there's nobody to get the bad guys there, then they're going to be operating to an empty house, aren't they?
I know this one in Sandusky is more about courthouse space. But it seems a dangerous thing that judges are allowed to order whatever they see fit without regard to how they fit into the structure of the rest of the county.
I've seen this before...in fact our county is falling victim to it right now. The court orders their budget paid (or whatever other order they feel like making), and every other office is left with a gaping hole of a defecit that they simply cannot deal with. Massive layoffs are a result.
Now I have to ask...what good does it do to make orders that insure the full-time operation of a court, if the result means layoffs to the sheriffs and prosecutors? The court can operate however it wants...but if there's nobody to get the bad guys there, then they're going to be operating to an empty house, aren't they?
I know this one in Sandusky is more about courthouse space. But it seems a dangerous thing that judges are allowed to order whatever they see fit without regard to how they fit into the structure of the rest of the county.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
I need a job...again. If anyone wants to hire an attorney with one and a half years experience in the civil division of a prosecutor's office and three years experience in Juvenile Court court services, give me a shout. It seems the state's budget problems are my budget problems and my position will most likely be eliminated (I've heard this tune somewhere before, ME1). I don't require a big paycheck and I have a pretty solid research and writing background...plus courtroom and client counseling experience. Beg, beg, beg, beg, beg, beg...
The Ashtabula County Commissioners have decided they're going to try to balance their budget by making some cuts.
Sounds great. Until today's news that they've voted to close down the youth detention center. Ashtabula County will have no place to put juvenile offenders pending adjudication. Why does this not sound right?
Sounds great. Until today's news that they've voted to close down the youth detention center. Ashtabula County will have no place to put juvenile offenders pending adjudication. Why does this not sound right?
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