Study Shows Summer Jobs Program Reduces Violent Crimes
Study Shows Summer Jobs Program Reduces Violent Crimes
A study published recently in an issue of Science Magazine entitled “Summer Jobs Reduce Violence Among Disadvantaged Youth” showed that when high school students from low-income, high-violence Chicago communities were employed through a One Summer Plus program for eight weeks, violent crime arrests dropped by nearly 43 percent for more than a year after the employment ended.1 How the One Summer Plus Program Worked For the study, researchers from the…
Read More
Could the Sony Hackers Face Federal Charges?
Recently, a Reddit user posted that the Guardians of Peace (GOP) had hacked Sony Pictures Entertainment.1 Within days, news media outlets reported that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) was actively investigating the Sony servers breach and hinting that North Korea could be involved as the country had denounced the release of the Sony film “The Interview.” The hacker group allegedly stole an estimated 100 TB of emails, movies,…
Read More
2014: Crimes in Review
In 2014, both California and the nation saw a huge number of changes in criminal law and a wide range of scandals. Here is a roundup of some of the top criminal law-related headlines from across the nation. Past Sex Crimes Come to Light In late November and early December, more than 20 women accused comedian and actor Bill Cosby of sexual assault. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office investigated…
Read More
Amanda Bynes and Involuntary Civil Commitment in California
The lives of child actors often become cautionary tales about the fleeting nature of fame and fortune. Amanda Bynes, once the star of Nickelodeon’s “All That,” has a story that is not unlike many that came before her, but in some ways, hers may be the most troubling case of all. In October, doctors at a Pasadena hospital placed the 28-year-old Bynes under an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold after a…
Read More
The Deadly Consequences of Driving While License is Suspended or Revoked
After a night at the bar with your friend, your friend realizes he is too intoxicated to drive you home. Your driver’s license has been revoked, but you think “what’s the harm?” and decide to drive his car home. On the way, you swerve off the road and hit a guardrail. Your friend dies as a result from his injuries. What happens next for you? Here is a look at…
Read More
Should Threats Made on Social Media Lead to Prison Time?
Recently, the United States Supreme Court heard oral argument in the first case that seeks to limit an individual’s right to free speech on social media. The case, Elonis v. United States, concerns Anthony Elonis, an Allentown, Pennsylvania man.1 Elonis’s wife left him in 2010, taking their two children. Following her departure, Elonis allegedly made death threats to his estranged wife, local law enforcement officers, an FBI agent, and a…
Read More
Mark Wahlberg Seeks Governor’s Pardon
Recently, actor Mark Wahlberg filed a petition to the governor of Massachusetts to request that he be pardoned for an assault conviction dating to the late 1980s. The crime involved not only a physical attack, but the screaming of obscenities and racial epithets. In California, an individual can file a petition for a pardon to the governor as well. A gubernatorial pardon is granted to those who have demonstrated “exemplary”…
Read More
The Truth Behind Police Homicides
When reporters for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) began looking into the number of the police officer-involved homicides that occur around the country each year, they discovered that hundreds of police killings have not been included in national statistics. In fact, police killings are reported on a voluntary basis, so most police departments don’t report them at all. According to the WSJ, between 2007 and 2012, at least 550 police…
Read More
Undocumented Immigrants Can Now Obtain Driver’s License in California
Undocumented immigrants are now eligible to apply for California driver’s licenses.1 The immigrants must be California residents and provide the DMV with the following: Proof of residency Thumb print, and Picture or photo for identification Over 1.4 million individuals are expected to apply for these special licenses. The DMV has opened four new offices and hired more than 900 additional employees to assist with the incoming rush. The licenses look…
Read More
Could California’s Gun Advertising Ban Be Overturned?
In the latest challenge to California’s strict gun laws, Tracy Rifle and Pistol, along with three other gun dealers, are suing in federal court for injunctive relief from California Penal Code Section 26820, which bans gun dealers from advertising handguns for sale in a way that is visible from outside a store.1 The lawsuit asserts that this California law, which has been in effect for 91 years, violates First Amendment…
Read More