Podcast about a Drug Court from This American Life

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/430/very-tough-love

This American Life: Very Tough Love

This week: A drug court program that we believe is run differently from every other drug court in the country, doing some things that are contrary to the very philosophy of drug court. The result? People with offenses that would get minimal or no sentences elsewhere sometimes end up in the system five to ten years.

Part One.

Ira reports from Glynn County Georgia on Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams and how she runs the drug courts in Glynn, Camden and Wayne counties. We hear the story of Lindsey Dills, who forges two checks on her parents' checking account when she's 17, one for $40 and one for $60, and ends up in drug court for five and a half years, including 14 months behind bars, and then she serves another five years after that—six months of it in Arrendale State Prison, the other four and a half on probation. The average drug court program in the U.S. lasts 15 months. But one main way that Judge Williams' drug court is different from most is how punitive it is. Such long jail sentences are contrary to the philosophy of drug court, as well as the guidelines of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. For violating drug court rules, Lindsey not only does jail terms of 51 days, 90 days and 104 days, Judge Williams sends her on what she calls an "indefinite sentence," where she did not specify when Lindsey would get out. (30 minutes)

Part Two.

We hear about how Brandi Byrd and many other offenders end up in Judge Williams' drug court. One reason drug courts were created was to save money by incarcerating fewer people. But in Judge Williams' program, people like Brandi end up in drug court—at a cost of $350 per month—who would've simply gotten probation in most other Georgia counties. When offenders like Brandi are kicked out of the program—and half of participants in Judge Williams' drug court program don't successfully complete it—they go into detention, at a cost of $17,000 per year. Brandi did two years.

We also hear how one model drug court participant, Charlie McCullough, was treated by Judge Williams. (25 minutes)

The transcript for this is also available at the weblink above.
What are your reactions?

CJL Co-Sponsors: Guns in America

What Difference Does the Second Amendment Make for Crime, Gun Ownership, and Gun Control in America?
Three Perspectives on the Future of Second Amendment Rights Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Groundbreaking Decisions in Heller & McDonald.

Second Amendment: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) -- http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2739870581644084946

McDonald v. Chicago, 130 S. Ct. 3020 (2010) -- http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5141154246897960488

LITIGATION VIEW: Alan Gura, Gura Possessky P.L.L.C.
ACADEMIC VIEW: Professor Dale Carpenter, UMN Law School
LAW ENFORCEMENT VIEW: Lt. Erik Swanson, UMN Police Department
MODERATOR: Professor Richard Painter, UMN Law School

Tuesday, March 29th @ 12:15 PM - 1:20 PM in Room 30.

Lunch Will Be Provided!  Co-sponsored by the Law School Democrats.

Please join the Federalist Society for an exciting panel discussion about the merits, meaning, and future of Second Amendment rights after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark rulings in Heller (2008) and McDonald (2010).

This panel will feature the Law School's own Professor Dale Carpenter, Alan Gura -- the attorney who successfully argued Heller andMcDonald -- and UMN Police Lieutenant Erik Swanson.

Please RSVP via Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170779329638062

CJL Co-Sponsors: Merits of the International Criminal Court Debate

Hello Justice Leaguers!

The Federalist Society (together with the International Law Society and the Criminal Justice League) will be hosting another riveting debate, this time about the merits of the International Criminal Court. The debate will feature three panelists representing a pro, con and neutral perspective. More information can be found on a Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184180624957007. Please R.S.V.P.!

The event will be held in Room 30 from 12:00 to 13:30 on Tuesday 22nd May.

There will be Potbelly lunch!

Hope to see you there!

Criminal Justice Conversations Podcast

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/cjconversations.htm

"The Criminal Justice Conversations Podcast, a co-production of the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice and the Berkeley School of Journalism, features in-depth, thirty-minute interviews with a wide range of criminal justice leaders: law enforcement officials, policymakers, advocates, service providers, academics and others.

The Podcast, hosted by criminal justice expert David Onek, gets behind the sound bites that far too often dominate the public dialogue about criminal justice, to have detailed, nuanced conversations about criminal justice policy."

What do you think of the discussion with James Bell, Executive Director, W. Haywood Burns Institute, about the over-representation of minority youth in the justice system in Episode 15? (Or any of the other episodes?)

Guardian ad Litem Event

What: Guardian ad Litem talk featuring Judy Peterson
When: Wednesday during lunch, 12:15 to 1:00.
Where: Law School Room 65
Lunch provided: Yes.

Criminal Justice League invites law students and interested faculty to join us over lunch in Room 65 on February 2 for an informational talk about Ramsey County's Guardian ad Litem volunteering program. Judy Peterson, the manager of Ramsey County's program, will be our featured speaker.

An ad Litem guardian is a court-appointed objective adult who represents the independent best interests of a child whose welfare is a matter of a court's concern. The talk will encompass the basic functions of ad Litem guardians and provide information for law students who are interested in serving in this important role. Lunch will be provided and having this on your resume couldn't hurt either!

For more information about the role of a Guardian ad Litem in general, or Ramsey County's program specifically, please go to this site. We hope to see you this Wednesday over lunch!