Mental illness is a serious health problem in the United States, and Michigan is no exception. Millions of Americans are living with mental illness, and the vast majority of them pose no more of a danger to others than the rest of the public.However, sometimes a...
Month: February 2017
What is identity theft?
There is a lot of talk in the news media about identity theft. But until you have been the victim of identity theft or been accused of doing it, you may not realize exactly what the term means.Simply put, identity theft means the fraudulent obtaining of another...
Should Michigan legalize marijuana? 57% say yes
Drug laws in regards to marijuana are currently in a sort of limbo in the United States. A growing number of states, including Colorado, Washington and California, have legalized marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. More states have legalized marijuana for...
Convicted as a minor, ‘White Boy Rick’ seeks parole
The criminal justice system continues to struggle with what to do with juveniles who are convicted of a crime. Not so long ago, Michigan was among the state that allowed courts to sentence juveniles convicted of nonviolent drug offenses to life behind bars.The U.S....
Michigan may set standards for public defenders
The Sixth Amendment guarantees each of us access to a defense attorney if we are ever arrested or charged with a crime. Then in 1963, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision found that this vital right holds true for everyone regardless of ability to pay.This gave rise...
Grand Rapids woman in video denies elder abuse
These days, it seems like everything we do is being videotaped. Between the increase in security cameras on the streets and the smartphones in people’s pockets, there are few public and semi-public places in Michigan where you are not being filmed, or at least...
Michigan prison accused of exposing inmates to sewage
The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution states that when it comes to those imprisoned by the government, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”This amendment is part of the Bill of...
The dangerous possibilities of crime prediction technology
For some in the law enforcement community, the Holy Grail would be a system that allows police to predict crimes and apprehend would-be criminals before those crimes are committed. This concept was popularized by the 2002 film Minority Report. While the methods used...
What is familial DNA testing & how is it used in criminal justice?
DNA analysis is a sophisticated (and usually accurate) tool for solving crimes; especially sex offenses, murders and other violent crimes. If police already have a suspect, any traces of DNA left at the crime scene can be analyzed and potentially matched to samples...