Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com by Chloe Clifford, Staff Writer Individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and proven to be innocent through post-conviction DNA testing spend, on average, over 14 years incarcerated.[1] For many who are wrongfully convicted, their nightmare does not end when they are proven innocent and released from prison.[2] Unlike […]
Post Tagged with: "Criminal Law"
Judge Rejects Throwing out DPA with Boeing
By Amber Pavucsko, Staff Writer In February 2023, a judge in Texas denied a family’s request to throw out a deal made between Boeing and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to avoid prosecution.[1] The deal was made in response to two Boeing 737-MAX flights that crashed, killing a total of 346 […]
ABA Task Force Details Myriad Issues Within Plea Bargain System
By Hannah Dean, Staff Writer In 2019, the American Bar Association (“ABA”) formed a Plea Bargain Task Force to examine and address the widespread criticisms of the plea bargaining process in the United States.[1] Task force members include judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law professors.[2] The Task Force released a […]
The PA Marijuana Pardon Project: What is it and how does it work?
By Jenna McGreevy, Staff Writer
Interest-of-Justice Hearings in Allegheny County
By Felicia Dusha, Feature Editor In December 2018, Congress passed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA), which amends the landmark Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974.[1] Under this new law, a juvenile charged as an adult “shall not have sight or sound contact with adult inmates…and may not be held […]
Fetterman and Oz Battled Over What to Do with Felony Murder
By Madeline Olds, Staff Writer As the final days before the election came to a close, a topic closely watched by both Democrats and Republicans was crime.[1] Violent crime has increased over this past year and has become one of the key voting issues amongst all parties.[2] With crime in consideration, both […]
Expansion of the Clean Slate Act
By Noah French, Staff Writer In 2018, Pennsylvania became the first state to adopt “Clean Slate” legislation, which took effect on June 28, 2019.[1] Under the Clean Slate initiative, criminal history record information pertaining to eligible criminal and summary records and non-conviction records will be automatically shielded from the public […]
Recidivism as a Result of How Time is Spent in Jail and Prison
By John Brophy, Staff Writer The most idealistic views of incarceration in the United States center around rehabilitation, which is the idea that an offender can be rehabilitated and ultimately reenter society with effective programming. In reality, rehabilitation is often constrained by economic concerns.[1] Thus, many incarcerated people experience ‘warehousing,’ a […]
The Investment Fund Based on Deceit
By Amber Pavucsko, Staff Writer As other funds were suffering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Infinity Q’s funds were outperforming its competitors.[1] James Velissaris, the former Chief Investment Officer and founder of Infinity Q, was charged with fraud last month by U.S. authorities for inflating assets held in funds by […]
The Real Facebook Jail
By Regan Jarvis, Staff Writer The Sixth Amendment guarantees criminal defendants’ right to a speedy and public trial with an impartial jury, however, it does not prohibit the publication of mugshots and arrest records prior to a conviction.[1] With the growing presence of social media, many police departments have turned to these platforms, […]