Criminal Defense News of the Week
by: Sduclos • November 20, 2012 • no comments
Tracking Sexual Offenders?
The Oregonian reviewed Oregon's approach to people convicted of sexual offenses. The article does a good job laying out some of the approaches that other states have taken and comparing them to current practice in Oregon. The article also discusses some of the things that researchers say contribute to recidivism - lack of social support structure, job or relationship loss, and homelessness. A pilot project in Canada, which turned away from GPS and polygraphs but daily contact from trained volunteers, treatment and some supervision, reduced recidivism by 70 percent.
Recklessness vs. Negligence: Judge Walker Finds Young Men Who Left Dog Tied to Car Not Guilty
Multnomah County Judge Kenneth Walker said it was a close case but that he had reasonable doubt that the two young men charged with leaving their pit bull tied to their jeep and driving across a parking lot were "reckless." One of the men jumped out of the moving jeep to rescue the animal when they realized their mistake. The pit bull has fully recovered. Read the Oregonian report.
Skype Makes Eavesdropping Easier
Skype had a reputation for making communication easy across borders, instantaneously, and with encryption software that made the instant chats relatively protected. However, authorities had been complaining that these features also made it more difficult for police to conduct wiretaps. In response, Microsoft has engineered make it much easier: giving authorities access to addresses and credit card numbers of users, among other changes. Read the WashPo article.
