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CHAIR’S MESSAGEgg
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Robert M.A. Johnson
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Good news and sad news regarding Council members. On the positive side, Charles J. Hynes, the District
Attorney in Brooklyn, NY, has published a novel, Triple Homicide, which for criminal justice professionals will be a good
“read.” Check it out and see if Joe
gets it right.
On a very sad note, Norm Maleng, King County (Seattle)
District Attorney and past Council chair, passed away unexpectedly on May
24. Our nation’s criminal justice
system lost one of its greatest examples of a prosecutor who was committed
to justice. In his home state of
Washington and nationally, Norm worked for policies that were best for
public safety, considering the interests of victims and offenders.
At our Spring Meeting,
the Council voted to cosponsor a resolution developed by the Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions proposing a sealing policy for criminal records. This resolution, entitled “Access to and
Use of Criminal History Information for Non-Law Enforcement Purposes,” is
intended to improve public safety by assisting ex-offenders to become
productive members of society. The
Council also endorsed a recommendation from the Corrections Committee concerning maintaining Medicaid
eligibility of prisoners while incarcerated and for those newly
released. We also benefited from a
paper delivered by Daniel Bellemare entitled Prosecution Independence: The
Canadian Experience. Those interested in the
issue of prosecution independence will find this paper of value.
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UPCOMING EVENTS…
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National Institute on Computing and the Law:
From Steps to Strides into the New Age
June 25-26, San Francisco, California
This two-day National Institute
will explore ongoing developments involving computing technology
and its effects on intellectual property, criminal justice,
and business law, and will provide you with expert perspectives on
these and related topics. Panelists are nationally known professionals
including litigators, judges, academics, and scientists.
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Other Events. See also
CJS Calendar of Events for additional event listings.
SUPREME COURT CASES…
Schriro v. Landrigan
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled against a death row inmate who directed his lawyer not to
present evidence that could spare him, then argued on appeal that the
attorney was ineffective. The Court
reversed a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision granting twice-convicted
killer Landrigan a hearing on his claim that his lawyer didn't do enough to
ward off the death sentence. Writing
for the majority, Justice Thomas stated that the appeals court should have
deferred to lower court rulings against Landrigan. The Arizona's
court determination that Landrigan refused to allow the presentation of any
mitigating evidence was a reasonable determination of the facts.
See other Supreme Court Case Updates
NEW PUBLICATIONS…
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The State of Criminal Justice 2006
Authors from across the criminal justice field provide essays on topics
ranging from cybercrime to juvenile justice to DNA. This annual publication
examines and reports on the major issues, trends and significant changes in
the criminal justice system. As one of the cornerstones of the Section's
work, the publication serves as an invaluable resource for policy-makers,
academics, and students of the criminal justice system alike. The 2006
volume is considerably expanded from earlier annual volumes and is noted
for input and submission of chapters from the Section committees.
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See other available Publications and Resources. See past E-News.
The American Bar Association
Criminal Justice Section
740 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20005
Phone: (202) 662-1500, Fax: (202) 662-1501
Email: crimjustice@abanet.org Web: www.abanet.org/crimjust
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