Parsing Out Evidentiary/Procedural Issues in Nima Momeni Murder Trial
“You play fast and loose with the rules of war, Monsieur.” “I play to win, Monsieur.” –Horatio Hornblower The jury is still out (literally!) at Nima Momeni’s trial for the
Lessons from CA Propositions on the 2024 Ballot: Instead of Admonishing, Listen
The election came and went, and we all know how that turned out. The Internet is full of Jeremiads and admonitions about the presidential outcome, and surely one more riff
In Memoriam: Barry Krisberg
eulogy prepared for a memorial panel at the American Society of Criminology 2024 Annual Meeting In 2009, when we held our first California Correctional Crisis conference shortly after the order
Euthanize the Death Penalty Already: Scenes from Capital Punishment’s Chronic Deathbed
(published: The Green Bag 27(3), Spring 2024) INTRODUCTION J.R.R. Tolkien’s immortal Lord of the Rings tells of the crossing of the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, during which members of the Fellowship
The Scouring of Samson: Incarceration and Corporal Punishment
One of the major assumptions of modern penologists is that prison, as an artifact of modernity, came to replace other forms of punishment: executions, maiming, etc. Overall, I think there
Does Being Sick Excuse, or Compound, Being Bad?
One of the classic texts that left the most lasting impression on me in grad school was Peter Conrad and Joseph Schneider’s Deviance and Medicalization: From Badness to Sickness. Our
Euthanize the Death Penalty Already: Scenes from Capital Punishment’s Chronic Deathbed
(published: The Green Bag 27(3), Spring 2024) INTRODUCTION J.R.R. Tolkien’s immortal Lord of the Rings tells of the crossing of the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, during which members of the Fellowship
Damages Lawsuits for Prison COVID-19 Neglect Proceed
If you’ve followed this blog during COVID-19, when we were litigating Eighth Amendment cases at Quentin and beyond, or read FESTER (you should!), then you know an unpleasant truth about
Children’s Books About Prisons
Friend, are you heading to a birthday or baby shower? If you like bringing books as gifts, and want the books to be meaningful, I’d steer away from tiresome sloganeering
Left Realism Matters More than Ever in Criminology
Houston, we have a bit of a problem. Having just finished writing my term papers at the GTU, I’ve turned to grading exams (will be done soon! I promise!) and