Sat, Jun 14, 2014
In Massachusetts, aftermath from a senseless cop-killing led Governor Deval Patrick to clean house at the state's parole board. In Connecticut, a Cheshire home invasion that resulted in the slaying of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters by two parolees led to the revamping of its entire system.
Sat, Jun 21, 2014
In this episode we take a look at the issue of juvenile sentencing, and consider two compelling cases in Michigan that raise the question of whether children convicted of murder should be subjected to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A battle is now waging to decide how to sentence juvenile killers, and what to do with the more than 360 juvenile lifers already sentenced to die in the state's prisons.
Sat, Jun 28, 2014
Crime rates of previous decades continue to have a large impact on how the criminal justice system functions today. Proactive policing strategies such as "drug-free zone" laws and "stop-and frisk" were implemented with the best of intentions, but critics say they are not working, and are in fact causing more hardship - for the community and the state's taxpayers - filling up prisons and infringing on civil rights. What can be done to repair the public's trust in the system?
Sat, Jul 5, 2014
The sixth amendment to the US Constitution guarantees every American the right to a speedy and public trial before an impartial jury, and the right to a defense attorney. What the sixth amendment doesn't lay out are rules for law enforcement and prosecution. What happens when these officials face intense pressure to close cases and get convictions in a time of rampant violent crime? What systems are in place to make sure these guardians of justice aren't cutting corners, railroading suspects through a criminal justice system that's set up to heavily favor the "good guys?"