Criminal Justice Quote: U.S. Death Sentences and Executions at Historic Lows

     The number of executions in the United States hit a 20-year low in 2014, a dip driven in part by lethal-injection drug shortages and legal battles stemming from botched procedures. Thirty-five death-row inmates in seven states were killed last year, the lowest number since 1994…Executions peaked in 1999; there were 98 that year…

     Death sentences hit a 40-year low last year and have been in steep decline for the last two decades, plunging from 315 in 1994 to 72 in 2014. According to Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, "The realization that mistakes have been made, that innocent people are still being freed, has made juries hesitant. They are willing to convict but not sentence to death. There is a demand for perfect proof, and so prosecutors are taking more plea bargains."

     Seven death-row inmates were exonerated last year, the most since 2009.

     A majority of Americans still support capital punishment. In a May 2014 poll by NBC News, 59 percent said they favor the death penalty as the ultimate punishment for murder, while 35 percent said they are opposed. That reflects the erosion of support since the 1990s, when more than 70 percent backed executions.

"Number of Death Sentences and Executions at 20-Year Low," Associated Press, December 17, 2014

     

Writing Quote: Book-Friendly France

Whatever the cultural reasons, books in France are indeed an "essential good"--the designation coined by the French government that serves to justify the very concrete steps it has taken over the years to protect its precious literary culture. The most prominent of these are laws outlawing the advantages (deep discounting combined with free shipping) that big chains and Amazon enjoy over independent booksellers in the United States and other countries. These help explain a phenomenon that inevitably strikes American visitors to France today: As even big chains such as Borders and Barnes & Noble have faltered here, every block in central Paris seems to sprout at least two small, intelligently stocked bookshops.

Daniel Mendelsohn, The New York Times Book Review, November 16, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Thomas Gilbert: Manhattan Hedge Fund Founder Murdered

     A 70-year-old hedge fund founder has been shot dead in his New York City apartment. Thomas Gilbert was shot in the head in his Manhattan apartment on Beekman Place on the East Side of Manhattan. He was pronounced dead at the scene. [Detectives were questioning the victim's 30-year-old son as a suspect.]

     Mr. Gilbert started Waincott Capital Partners Fund in 2011. The fund has $200 million in assets and focuses on the biotech and heath care industries…The murder was a rare act of violence on Beekman Place, a tony enclave just north of the United Nations building.

"Hedge Fund Founder, 70, Slain in NYC Apartment," sfgate.com, January 5, 2015 

Criminal Justice Quote: Abducted Baby Found Dead in Imperial Beach, California

     Long Beach, California police confirmed that a baby found Sunday January 4, 2015 is that of a 3-week-old abducted from her home after fatal shootings. The identification of Eliza Delacruz came after detectives from Long Beach traveled to San Diego County to help detectives investigate the discovery of an infant's remains found in a dumpster behind an Imperial Beach strip mall. The baby had been taken Saturday night January 3, 2015 from a Long Beach home, the scene of the shootings…

     Police went to the site of the abduction after receiving a 911 call about the shooting. At the house they found two brothers and the baby's mother. All three had been shot to death. One of the brothers was Eliza's father. Detectives are looking for an adult male suspect. The authorities have not revealed if the gunman is related to any of the victims.

"Baby Abducted After Shooting Found Dead in Dumpster," Associated Press, January 5, 2015
     

Writing Quote: Bob Hope's Influence on Modern Humor

Comedian Bob Hope's heir at NBC, Johnny Carson, not to mention Carson's legion of successors, proves that Hope's flippant, topical monologue has never left us. There's also Hope's obvious influence on comedians in the 1970s who played versions of themselves as show-business boors, like Albert Brooks and Steve Martin.

Ben Schwartz, Bookforum, Dec/Jan, 2015 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Cost of Identity Theft

While identify theft is certainly a global problem, experts say it's difficult to measure worldwide losses. However, a Department of Justice study estimates identify theft of all kinds was responsible for U.S. financial losses of $24,7 billion in 2012--nearly double the $14 billion lost from all other property crimes such as burglary and theft.

"Identity Theft Costs U.S. Billions," Associated Press, December 21, 2014 

Camera Shy Cops

     An Orlando, Florida man jailed for filming a police officer got more than his money back. Alberto Troche, who sued Orlando police for wrongfully jailing him and taking his phone, received $15,000 in an out of court settlement. According to the lawsuit, Troche saw police arresting a man late one night in December 2013. Based on cries of pain from the man being arrested, Troche thought police were using excessive force and pulled out his cellphone to record the incident. Several others did the same.

     Police arrested Troche for recording the officers. Troche claimed he stood 10-15 feet away from the arrest and never interfered. He spent 15 hours in custody and didn't get his phone back for three weeks.

     In a video of the incident, police can be heard yelling at an indignant crowd. Police threatened to take their cell phones because they were recording the arrest. The officers claimed the phones were needed for evidence. In the video, a police officer can be heard shouting, "We need the camera now!" Someone in the crowd responded, "They can't take your camera," followed by "Aw hell no! They cannot do that!"…

Casey Harper, "Man Jailed For Filming Cops," The Daily Caller, December 26, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Teacher's Aide Burglarized Homes Of Fellow Employees

     A teacher's aide in Park City, Utah has admitted breaking into the homes of several of her Park City School District co-workers in order to steal money and prescription pills. On October 20, 2014, Summit County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an attempted burglary at a Park City home. The homeowner, an employee with the Park City School District, recognized the woman trying to break in as 27-year-old Kayla Goodrich.

     After the teacher's aide's arrest, the chief prosecutor for the Summit County Attorneys Office told reporters that, "From what we can tell, Goodrich may have used some school records to determine where people lived. She entered their homes when they weren't around to steal controlled substances."…

     After police seized the burglary suspect's cellphone, they found photographs of documents with emergency contact information regarding the suspect's fellow school employees. The officers also found loose pills and more than $3,000 in cash in Goodrich's car. The principal of the McPolin Elementary School fired the teacher's aide following her police confession.

     The prosecutor charged Goodrich with burglary, attempted burglary, and possession of a controlled substance.

"Teacher's Aide Faces Felonies After Allegedly Using School Records in Burglaries," Fox News, November 6, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Vulnerability of Fingerprint Scanner Systems

     Jim Krissler, a member of Europe's oldest hacker collective, the Chaos Computer Club, said he has developed the ability to copy fingerprints using a common digital camera. He made the announcement at the Chaos Computer Conference on December 27, 2014. His demonstration included creating a digital copy of a fingerprint of Germany's federal minister of defense, Ursula von der Leyen, using commercially available software called VeriFinger.

     Krissler said he had a photographer snap high-resolution photos of von der Leyen's fingers while she was giving a presentation in October 2014. The photographs were taken from nine feet away from the subject. Krissler said he wasn't able to verify von der Leyen's fingerprint was accurate, but was confident it was a workable copy…

     Krissler's presentation potentially calls into question the efficacy of fingerprint scanners as a security measure. While they have been around since the 1990s in consumer technology, it was Apple's move to include a fingerprint reader, which it calls Touch ID, into the iPhone 5S that revitalized the idea of using biometric readers. Samsung and HTC quickly followed by adding fingerprint readers in select smartphones. The reader replaces the need to enter a code to unlock a device or, in the case of mobile-payments system Apple Pay, verify a purchase…

     This isn't Krissler's first tangle with fingerprints. He was one of the first to demonstrate how to fake a fingerprint with wood glue to fool the IPhone 5S. "We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics," Chaos Computer Club spokesperson Frank Rieger said in a statement. "It is plain stupid to use something that you can't change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token."…

Seth Rosenblatt, "Hacker Claims You Can Steal Fingerprints With Only a Camera," cnet.com, December 30, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Marine Accused of Murdering Transgender Woman

     A U.S. Marine has been charged with murder in the death of a transgender woman who was found strangled in a Philippines hotel room…Pfc. Scott Pemberton is accused of killing Jeffrey Laude, who was also known as Jennifer…Laude's naked body was found with her head in a toilet in an Olongapo hotel room shortly after midnight on October 12, 2014…

     Witnesses told police that Pemberton was with Laude at a local disco before the two checked into the hotel on the night of October 11…

     Pimberton was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina…The Marine Corps said it was "working closely and cooperating fully with the Philippine National Police to ensure that a thorough investigation is completed and due process of law is followed."

     Three other Marines from the same unit have been identified as potential witnesses….

"U.S. Marine Charged With Murder in Death of Transgender Woman in Philippines," CNN, December 15, 2014