Aug 5, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, mic
Published: Salon (August 5, 2016) [Note: The end of this essay contains spoilers for the ending of “Suicide Squad.”] If the critics at RottenTomatoes are to be believed, Suicide Squad is a terrible movie with “a muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing.” (Salon’s ownAndrew O’Hehir calls it “profoundly second-rate … at every level of conception and execution.”) This puts me...
Jun 2, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Marijuana Legalization and the War on Drugs, mic
Published: Salon (June 1, 2016) A recent survey found that Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor who was just nominated to be the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, does surprisingly well against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump. Although his 10 percent is nothing compared to Clinton’s 38 percent and Trump’s 35 percent, it’s enough to...
May 26, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex
Published: The Good Men Project (May 26, 2016) As a progressive, I've found there is an argument that seems to be effective in debates with conservatives on law and order issues. What I'll say is that police officers have an inherent civic responsibility to be responsive to the concerns of their left-wing critics because they are, in a literal sense, the most important and powerful agents of the...
Nov 5, 2015 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Marijuana Legalization and the War on Drugs, mic
Published: The Daily Dot (November 5, 2015) This week, Ireland took a bold step in ending the war on drugs: The nationannounced this week that—as part of a broader program to decriminalize not only cannabis but cocaine and heroin—the country will create specially designated rooms in Dublin where addicts can safely and legally inject themselves with small amounts of their drugs. This plan...
Sep 25, 2015 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, mic, Race and Racism, Supreme Court and Other Judicial Issues
Published: The Daily Dot (September 25, 2015) Back in October, 59-year-old Wayne County Jail inmate Abdul Akbar suffered multiple bodily injuries—after prison guards tried to restrain him. Reports obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request claim that Akbar became violent after he overslept and missed breakfast, destroying a computer and resisting guards’ orders when they tried to...
Jul 14, 2015 | Class Issues, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (July 14, 2015) As talk show host John Oliver explained in a segment last month, America’s bail bond system discriminates against low-income Americans who can’t afford to make bail. “Jail can do for your actual life what being in a marching band can do for your social life,” Oliver quipped. “Even if you're just in for a little while, it can destroy you.” After going viral,...
Jul 6, 2015 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Death Penalty, mic, Original Source Salon.com, Science and Technology, Supreme Court and Other Judicial Issues
Jun 24, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Science and Technology
Published: Daily Dot (June 24, 2015) The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution may not have as much political cachet as the First or Second, but it’s a safe bet you’re familiar with one of its most important phrases (italics added for emphasis): “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” This brings us to Barrett...
Jun 9, 2015 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, mic, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (June 9, 2015) Note: This article discusses themes of suicide and police abuse. On Sunday, Kalief Browder took his own life. You may have first heard about Kalief Browder last April, after the New Yorker obtained exclusive footage of the then teenager being beaten by prison guards and fellow inmates during his three-year stay in prison. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the...
May 29, 2015 | Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Liberalism, Marijuana Legalization and the War on Drugs, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State, Political Ideologies, Race and Racism
Published: Daily Dot (May 29, 2015) At a time when the Republican Party has developed a reputation for voting and thinking in lockstep, it is worth noting that Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul has a surprisingly bipartisan appeal, which is becoming an important part of his growing presidential campaign. In the wake of an Internet-breaking filibuster on the Patriot Act, the outspoken National Security...