http://digbig.com/4mfad
Jaime Jansen
"Sexual violence in US prisons, perpetrated by both inmates and prison staff, often goes unreported [DOJ press release] because abused inmates fear a reprisal or do not trust prison staff, according to a US Department of Justice report [text, PDF; summary]. The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) [official website] examined reports to prison administrations comprising 78 percent of the adult prison population in 2005, Staff initiated sexual misconduct constituted 38 percent of the allegations, while inmate-to-inmate rape constituted 35 percent of allegations. Lesser degrees of sexual harassment and contacts represented the remaining 27 percent of allegations. The authors of the report also warned against placing juvenile inmates with the adult prison population, finding that the incidents of rape and abuse are five times higher than the adult prison population. The report, however, notes that the administration records used in the surveys do not provide "reliable estimates of sexual violence" because inmates often fail to report instances of sexual violence. The report, which is the second [JURIST report] in an annual series required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 [text, PDF; DOJ backgrounder], showed a marked improvement over staff sexual misconduct and harassment since the initial 2004 study. The BJS is currently seeking a better way to measure sexual violence in prisons, and is considering anonymous self-administered surveys. [Brief]
SOCIETY, SOCIAL MEDIA, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE< GOVERNMENT>JUSTICE - a selective newsfeed
society
Thursday, August 03, 2006
9/11 panel weighed asking DOJ to probe false official testimony on plane tracking / Jurist PaperChase,
http://digbig.com/4mfac
Joshua Pantesco
"Members of the 9/11 Commission [official website] considered asking the US Justice Department to investigate suspected deception by government officials intended to hide mistakes in the Pentagon's response to the Sept. 11 attacks [JURIST news archive], the Washington Post reported. The commissioners contemplated possible criminal charges under 18 U.S.C. 1001 [text], which prohibits making false statements before Congress or a body constituted by Congress. The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) [official website] is an example of a group that potentially gave false testimony to the Commission. Transcripts of NORAD audio recordings [text], published by Vanity Fair, appear to show that NORAD had not tracked any of the airplanes used during the Sept. 11 attacks before they were crashed, contradicting testimony provided by NORAD officials. NORAD balked at releasing the tapes to the commission, which prompted the commission's concern that NORAD officials gave misleading testimony. The Washington Post has more." [Brief]
Joshua Pantesco
"Members of the 9/11 Commission [official website] considered asking the US Justice Department to investigate suspected deception by government officials intended to hide mistakes in the Pentagon's response to the Sept. 11 attacks [JURIST news archive], the Washington Post reported. The commissioners contemplated possible criminal charges under 18 U.S.C. 1001 [text], which prohibits making false statements before Congress or a body constituted by Congress. The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) [official website] is an example of a group that potentially gave false testimony to the Commission. Transcripts of NORAD audio recordings [text], published by Vanity Fair, appear to show that NORAD had not tracked any of the airplanes used during the Sept. 11 attacks before they were crashed, contradicting testimony provided by NORAD officials. NORAD balked at releasing the tapes to the commission, which prompted the commission's concern that NORAD officials gave misleading testimony. The Washington Post has more." [Brief]
EU rejects Poland call to reinstate death penalty / Jurist PaperChase, 2 aug 2006
http://digbig.com/4mfaa
Jaime Jansen
"The European Union [official website] has rejected a call by Polish President Lech Kaczynski [official profile] to review the EU ban on capital punishment [JURIST news archive], European Commission [official website] spokesman Steffan de Rynck said Wednesday. Kaczynski urged the EU to reconsider the death penalty [BBC report] last Friday, even though the EU requires abolition of capital punishment for EU membership.Kaczynski said that the death penalty ban gives an "unimaginable advantage to the perpetrator over the victim." The League of Polish Families [party website; Wikipedia backgrounder], a nationalist minority party, has launched a campaign to reinstate the death penalty [Polskie Radio report] for pedophile murderers. BBC News has more." [Brief] [Capital Punishment]
Jaime Jansen
"The European Union [official website] has rejected a call by Polish President Lech Kaczynski [official profile] to review the EU ban on capital punishment [JURIST news archive], European Commission [official website] spokesman Steffan de Rynck said Wednesday. Kaczynski urged the EU to reconsider the death penalty [BBC report] last Friday, even though the EU requires abolition of capital punishment for EU membership.Kaczynski said that the death penalty ban gives an "unimaginable advantage to the perpetrator over the victim." The League of Polish Families [party website; Wikipedia backgrounder], a nationalist minority party, has launched a campaign to reinstate the death penalty [Polskie Radio report] for pedophile murderers. BBC News has more." [Brief] [Capital Punishment]
Should prostitution be cartelized? / Agoravox, 31 Jul 2006
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=5017
"It is important to legalize and regulate the sex trade in ways that enhance the autonomy of sex workers. There are many good reasons not to let sex work become another service sector job.
It seems only fair that the world’s oldest profession should be granted the legal status of other self-regulating profession. S ex workers should have professional organizations that license and certify members according to the standards of their peers. Doctors and lawyers have a similarly sweet deal in which the state agrees to impose a monopoly on the supply of healers and advocates in exchange for quality assurance. If the law said that you had to be a registered member of your State Prostitute’s Guild in order to legally sell sex, then only people who actively sought to qualify themselves would be eligible to work as prostitutes." [Prostitution]
"It is important to legalize and regulate the sex trade in ways that enhance the autonomy of sex workers. There are many good reasons not to let sex work become another service sector job.
It seems only fair that the world’s oldest profession should be granted the legal status of other self-regulating profession. S ex workers should have professional organizations that license and certify members according to the standards of their peers. Doctors and lawyers have a similarly sweet deal in which the state agrees to impose a monopoly on the supply of healers and advocates in exchange for quality assurance. If the law said that you had to be a registered member of your State Prostitute’s Guild in order to legally sell sex, then only people who actively sought to qualify themselves would be eligible to work as prostitutes." [Prostitution]
[Italy] 2,666 prisoners freed so far / Ansa, 2 Aug 2006
http://digbig.com/4meyq
"Justice Minister Clemente Mastella said that more than 2,500 inmates had so far walked free from Italian jails thanks to a prison amnesty approved by parliament. Speaking at a press conference on the controversial measure, Mastella said a total of 2,666 prisoners were released. He appealed to them to "behave responsibly" after reports that several had already been re-arrested." [Prison Management]
"Justice Minister Clemente Mastella said that more than 2,500 inmates had so far walked free from Italian jails thanks to a prison amnesty approved by parliament. Speaking at a press conference on the controversial measure, Mastella said a total of 2,666 prisoners were released. He appealed to them to "behave responsibly" after reports that several had already been re-arrested." [Prison Management]
Chip-Based Genetic Detector for Rapid Identification of Individuals, Final Report / Nanogen, Inc.“, 2006
PDF - http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/213911.pdf
"DNA databases of convicted felons have enabled investigators to identify any repeat offenders who leave DNA evidence at a crime scene. The effectiveness of this investigative tool has led many to call for an expansion of DNA testing to include all persons arrested for felonies. The implementation of these laws, however, faces the challenges of funding and improvement in the processing and technology of DNA testing. Studies are needed to show that RADT not only reduces crime but also lowers the overall cost of investigations because of the increased ability of investigators to identify repeat offenders who leave DNA evidence at the crime scene. Cost savings for DNA processing can be achieved by a more efficient use of lab space through the redesign of DNA testing equipment to make it smaller. Further, to realize the potential benefits of RADT, DNA identification should be self-contained, have a rapid time to result, and be easy to use. Such a device is being developed under this research grant. It will result in a self-contained, mobile instrumentation that will provide for DNA identification at various sites, including crime scenes and disaster sites. The project has already resulted in the development of numerous assays for genetic variants related to forensic investigations.”
"DNA databases of convicted felons have enabled investigators to identify any repeat offenders who leave DNA evidence at a crime scene. The effectiveness of this investigative tool has led many to call for an expansion of DNA testing to include all persons arrested for felonies. The implementation of these laws, however, faces the challenges of funding and improvement in the processing and technology of DNA testing. Studies are needed to show that RADT not only reduces crime but also lowers the overall cost of investigations because of the increased ability of investigators to identify repeat offenders who leave DNA evidence at the crime scene. Cost savings for DNA processing can be achieved by a more efficient use of lab space through the redesign of DNA testing equipment to make it smaller. Further, to realize the potential benefits of RADT, DNA identification should be self-contained, have a rapid time to result, and be easy to use. Such a device is being developed under this research grant. It will result in a self-contained, mobile instrumentation that will provide for DNA identification at various sites, including crime scenes and disaster sites. The project has already resulted in the development of numerous assays for genetic variants related to forensic investigations.”
[USA] Social networking ban could hit all kinds of sites, say critics / OUT-LAW News, 1 Aug 2006
http://www.out-law.com/default.aspx?page=7157
"The US House of Representatives has voted by an overwhelming majority to ban social networking sites in schools and libraries. Critics have warned that the ban could apply to a wide variety of sites, some of them of vital educational value. The House passed the Deleting Online Predators Act by 410 votes to 15. The Act forbids publicly funded organisations, such as schools and libraries, from allowing young people to access sites that have chat rooms or 'social networking' elements. Under the proposed law, adults in such institutions can ask for permission to access the sites." [Society]
"The US House of Representatives has voted by an overwhelming majority to ban social networking sites in schools and libraries. Critics have warned that the ban could apply to a wide variety of sites, some of them of vital educational value. The House passed the Deleting Online Predators Act by 410 votes to 15. The Act forbids publicly funded organisations, such as schools and libraries, from allowing young people to access sites that have chat rooms or 'social networking' elements. Under the proposed law, adults in such institutions can ask for permission to access the sites." [Society]
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