Archive for the "Criminal Law" Category

01.May.2012 Top Three Ways to Avoid Getting Arrested at Jazz Fest

UPDATE: This was originally posted two years ago, and again last year around Jazz Fest time. I feel like it is worth trotting out again with some updated information, most importantly to note that you will now likely receive a summons for Municipal Court for most minor offenses in lieu of arrest. You will probably [...]

13.Apr.2012 FAQs About Getting Arrested in New Orleans

Amazing weather we are having and festival season has been so much fun, so far. Parades, live music, awesome food…  French Quarter Fest started Thursday (they added a day!), Crawfest is April 21, and a few weeks later we’re hosting Jazz Fest. Daiquiris in the sun and go-cups on the run…. I think it’s a [...]

28.Feb.2012 Serpas Hears the People

Lately NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas has been announcing and canceling so many programs that citizens of New Orleans have begun to question his leadership. On 2/14/2012 Serpas announced that the NOPD would begin attaching saucer-sized bright orange stickers to houses they have searched for drugs, whether or not drugs were found or arrests were made. [...]

15.Feb.2012 DWI Enforcement: Getting both tough and sensible

Recent events in the news highlight two sides of the debate over drunk driving. The dark side – repeat offenders often fall through the system and keep driving; and the light side – first offenders, given the opportunity to change through monitoring and education, often learn their lesson and don’t offend again. Out of the [...]

31.Jan.2012 Guns Beget More Guns

Even in a town as jaded by murder as New Orleans, there are acts of violence that still shock and enrage the public. The murder of the Good Samaritan Harry “Mike” Ainsworth who was gunned down in front of his children while trying to stop an early morning carjacking is one such case. The neighborhood [...]

24.Jan.2012 Investing in Convicted Felons

Tulane criminologist Peter Scharf is collecting data that suggests that increased services to convicted felons is good for society at large. Specifically, he is talking about increased mental health services, to accommodate the needs of the nearly 40% of the prison population that suffers from mental health issues. “Typically, guys are medicated while they’re in [...]

02.Dec.2011 A Better Understanding of Murder?

In 2004, Milwaukee had 87 murders. This was unacceptable to the city so in 2005 they began a program that partnered law enforcement with community leaders to not only investigate these crimes, but try to understand the root causes for each individual murder. They had plenty of work to do as they looked into and [...]

25.Aug.2011 Innocence Is Not Quite What It Used To Be

Have you ever admitted guilt when you were innocent? Then I’m assuming you’re married — but don’t feel bad, it seems we’re hard-wired for this type of confession. But seriously folks…. Researchers are finding out just how easy it is to get innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit – even if [...]

08.Aug.2011 Let Them Eat Drugs

I’ve written several times about the advances our judicial system has made in its attitudes and approach. However a recent article has left me scrambling to put a positive spin on the prevailing method for dealing with juvenile offenders, but here goes: fifty years ago we’d have them in leather restraints, whereas today we simply [...]

02.Aug.2011 From Bike Theft to Murder?

Recently I read an article in the Times Picayune which got me thinking about cycles of crimes: “NOPD approach to lesser crimes questioned by those focusing on murder rate.” At heart of the article is the NOPD’s focus on setting up stings for crimes such as bike theft and prostitution. As we all know, New [...]