By Chris Hemry Executive Editor, Vol. 24. The police have a lot of power over civilians. This is especially palpable on the roads.[1] The police can pull you over for a “broken taillight,” order everyone out of the car, frisk everyone, arrest the driver for the broken taillight, impound the car, and then search every […]
criminalization
Is Gang Membership a Crime? How RICO Laws Turn Groups into Gangs
By Kerry Martin Associate Editor, Vol. 24 On June 18, 2018, in a courtroom at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in downtown Detroit, at the end of a long pretrial argument on a matter of evidence, defendant Corey Bailey stood up. The courtroom was nearly full: this was preparation for the blockbuster trial of the […]
“Criminalized pregnancy” hurts poor and minority women most, faces legal challenges
By Dana Ziegler Associate Editor, Vol. 21 In March 2015, Purvi Patel, an Asian-American woman from Indiana, became the first woman in the U.S. to be convicted and sentenced for feticide. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for feticide and neglect of a dependent after she had a self-administered abortion. Previously, Indiana pursued […]
