Justice For All - Feb 2015

The Alabama Legislature, on Friday, gave final passage to a comprehensive bill aimed at reducing overcrowding in state prisons. The legislation would deal with offenders in a responsible way by creating a new class designation for nonviolent offenses and placing a bigger emphasis on community supervision programs designed to reduce the likelihood of an offender becoming a repeat offender.

Joseph Rivers is a 22-year-old who has a dream of making a music video. With help from his supportive family, he persevered and saved, raising $16,000 in cash to leave his hometown in Michigan for Los Angeles to see his dream become reality.

Across our country youth are being introduced to the justice system, not because they have done anything that is normally illegal, but solely because of their age. These youth are charged with violating “status offenses,” which are offenses only because of the status of the individual, in this case the individual’s age. Some of the most common status offenses are: truancy, missing curfew and being a runaway.

There's big news out of Montana. Gov. Steve Bullock signed legislation on Tuesday to protect innocent people and their property from civil asset forfeiture abuse by overzealous law enforcement.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a major bill into law allowing judges to sentence nonviolent offenders below mandatory minimum sentences, a big government, one-size-fits-all policy that costs taxpayers big bucks.

Lyndon McLellan is the owner of a convenience store in Fairmont, North Carolina, a small town just up I-95 from the state's border with South Carolina. On the advice of a bank teller, McLellan began making deposits below $10,000 to save the bank burdensome paperwork required under the Bank Secrecy Act, a 1970 law aimed at deterring money laundering and a host of other crimes, including illicit drug activity.

Cory Maye, a loving father of an 18 month old daughter at the time, was sleeping in his living room the day after Christmas at 12:30 a.m. when he heard banging at the door. He had no prior record, but lived in a rough neighborhood, where break-ins had taken place before, so he grabbed his pistol and ran to the back bedroom to defend his daughter.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has failed to uphold one of the most basic principles of the American legal system by allowing the forfeiture of more than $63,000 of cash to the government. The decision could have serious ramifications for innocent property owners in the Midwest.

Southern California is known for many things: Hollywood, the Los Angeles Dodgers, a great punk rock scene, and amazing weather. Though the state is justifiably mocked for its significant budget programs and heavy regulatory burden, it has some of the better civil asset forfeiture laws in the country, though that isn't saying much considering how most states practically encourage abuse of this pernicious tool.