Via The Innocence Project Blog: “A new report funded by the National Institute of Justice titled, Measuring the Effect of Defense Counsel on Homicide Case Outcomes, examines the difference that a lawyer makes to the outcome of serious criminal cases in Philadelphia. Since April 1993, every fifth murder case in Philadelphia is sequentially assigned at the preliminary arraignment to the citys Defender Association and the other four cases are assigned to appointed counsel. The study showed that compared to private appointed counsel, public defenders make an enormous difference in the outcome of cases by reducing the murder conviction rate by 19%, the probability that their clients receive a life sentence by 62% and overall expected time served in prison by 24%.”
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Daily Archives: March 10, 2013
BJS – Pretrial Detention and Misconduct in Federal District Courts, 1995-2010
Pretrial Detention and Misconduct in Federal District Courts, 1995-2010. Thomas H. Cohen, Ph.D. February 21, 2013. NCJ 239673 “Presents findings on general trends in pretrial detention and misconduct in the federal district courts between fiscal years 1995 and 2010. The report highlights trends in the number of defendants released and detained pretrial and examines the… Continue Reading
Law School Transparency – "reforming the traditional law school model"
“Law School Transparency is a nonprofit legal education policy organization dedicated to improving consumer information and to reforming the traditional law school mode…The Transparency Index reflects Law School Transparencys review of law school websites, through which we analyze the employment information that law schools use to market their programs. We measure not only whether law… Continue Reading
State Higher Education Finance Report for FY2012
The association of State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) has released its annual State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report, which provides a comprehensive review of state and local funding, tuition revenue, and enrollment trends for public higher education. This is the fourth SHEF report since the 2007-2008 academic year when state and local support for… Continue Reading
A Longitudinal Study of Follow Predictors on Twitter
A Longitudinal Study of Follow Predictors on Twitter, by C.J. Hutto, Sarita Yardi, Eric Gilbert. CHI 2013, April 27 May 2, 2013, Paris, France. Copyright 2013 ACM 978-1-4503-1899-0/13/04. “Follower count is important to Twitter users: it can indicate popularity and prestige. Yet, holistically, little is understood about what factors like social behavior, message… Continue Reading
EPIC Prevails in Two FOIA Cases, Obtains Further Details on Body Scanners
Follow up to related postings on TSA body scanners, via EPIC: “A federal judge has granted EPIC victories in two Freedom of Information Act cases involving the controversial airport body scanners. Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC held that the Department of Homeland Security must turn over two safety reports detailing radiation output by the… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board – Beige Book – March 6, 2013
Beige Book – March 6, 2013: “Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District. Prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and based on information collected on or before February 22, 2013. This document summarizes comments received from businesses and other contacts outside the Federal Reserve and is not a… Continue Reading
Human Rights Considerations in International Investment Arbitration
Via SSRN: Human Rights Considerations in International Investment Arbitration, Eric De Brabandere, Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, March 8, 2013 “Despite the apparent opposition between the two concepts, human rights protection and international investment law in fact share many common features, the most important being the weak or vulnerable position of both individuals and… Continue Reading
Report – Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites
“Across the United States, thousands of hazardous waste sites are contaminated with chemicals that prevent the underlying groundwater from meeting drinking water standards. These include Superfund sites and other facilities that handle and dispose of hazardous waste, active and inactive dry cleaners, and leaking underground storage tanks; many are at federal facilities such as military… Continue Reading
Report – Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs
Countering the Problem of Falsified and Substandard Drugs, February 13, 2013 “Falsified and substandard medicines provide little protection from disease and, worse, can expose consumers to major harm. Bad drugs pose potential threats around the world, but the nature of the risk varies by country, with higher risk in countries with minimal or non-existent regulatory… Continue Reading
