Date sent: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 08:44:12 +0000
Subject: CFEJ NEWSLETTER #1
Send reply to: fedup@flash.net
Priority: normal
(recipient list suppressed)
CFEJ NEWSLETTER #1
Hello,
This is NOT a "spam" -- if you are reading this, we have either
been in contact via e-mail; or, you signed up for this through my old
"get remind" newsletter link. If your address wound up in the wrong
folder and you do not want to be on this list, please e-mail me with
"REMOVE" in the subject line.
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Some of you, who may have been out of contact for a while;
might not be aware of the fact that the old ~fedup website has been
replaced with a new, domain site. The new URL is:
http://www.reducecrime.org
This is a much larger site and I welcome ideas on additions...
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I'm (finally) trying to get this newsletter up and running; but, I
won't be able to do it (along with everything else) on my own --
whether it succeeds or fails will be largely up to all of you out there.
Please pass along: any information which you feel is interesting
and relevant to the issue of making our criminal justice system
more effective, any interesting proposed legislation, "editorials"
related to the need for C.A.S. laws, entertaining "dumb criminal"
stories, or your suggestions for material to include in this fledgling
newsletter. If I think it's appropriate, I'll include it.
To retain confidentiality, if you send me something you'd like
included in the newsletter, please include a note to that effect and
letting me know if you want your name, e-mail address, etc.
included. If you send me any copyrighted material, please include
the information necessary for me to contact the copyright holder for
permission to "reprint" it in the newsletter
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N.Y.C.'s new D.U.I ordinance --
I'll try to start things off with a small editorial of my own,
pertaining to this recent N.Y.C. ordinance which authorizes the
confiscation of the cars of accused drunk drivers. This is an
excellent illustration of an encroachment on our civil liberties,
based upon public frustration over the ineffectiveness of our current
penalties. Is drunk driving a serious problem? ABSOLUTELY!!!
Are people justified in feeling frustrated with the problem of
intoxicated people getting behind the wheels of their cars with
impunity? ABSOLUTELY!!! Is the confiscation of people's cars,
especially prior to their being convicted of this crime the solution?
Absolutely NOT!!! Innocent until proven guilty is a very basic tenet
of our liberties -- to give this up, even to save lives, opens the door
to our government enacting other sanctions without the benefit of
due process.
Another factor to consider in this issue are the inequities which
are inherent in the confiscation of these cars -- a rich person can
easily replace it the vehicle and usually there are more than just
one car in such families. In a poorer family, however, there is often
only one vehicle to serve the entire families needs and it can not be
easily replaced. This places an undue hardship on family members
who were not parties to the crime.
If, instead, CONVICTED drunk drivers were subjected to the
type of sentence illustrated in my D.U.I. case, ONLY the convicted
offender would suffer the consequences of his or her actions, the
rich and poor would endure exactly the same penalty, based solely
upon their blood alcohol level and previous convictions, and the
results would reduce the problem of drunk driving just as well
(actually, more effectively...)
click here if you
haven't read the D.U.I. case
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Y2K --
In spite of the dispute over the degree which the Y2K problem
will affect our society, virtually everyone who is well informed on
this topic agrees that there will be at least SOME problems related
to (at least) the problem of embedded chips. This could have some
serious ramifications for our, prison-based, criminal justice system.
Should the power grid be significantly affected, not only will the
maintenance of large prison populations become totally
impractical; but, crime would skyrocket as people who had either
been uninformed or who had scoffed at the warnings become
desperate. Corporal sentencing could be a viable solution, even if
the effects of Y2K prove to be much milder than what some people
are forecasting.
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"GETTING THINGS MOVING..."
I'm getting an average of about three or four queries a month
regarding the possibility of offering waivers. I'm seriously needing
more of you to train to work such cases (as they occur), for many
of you who have dropped by the wayside to finish up training, and I
need a database of attornies who are willing to assist these folks in
getting the court to accept this option. Until I have a large enough
staff and attorney base to handle things taking off in a hurry, most
of these cases have to be turned away -- which not only reduces
the chances of our getting C.A.S. into the mainstream; but, also,
these people's lives and futures are being wasted, in the meantime.
There have been a few "high profile" cases which we probably could
have gotten; but, I had to refrain from even approaching these
people because the media attention (which would open the door to
getting C.A.S. laws filed and passed) would have resulted in an
overload which could have killed this project before it ever had a
chance to really get off of the ground.
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HUMOR --
This issues "dumb criminal" stories are drawn from:
which is available
from my external links page.
Kentucky: Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by
running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup
truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though,
they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene
and drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With
their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's license
plate still attached to the bumper.
South Carolina: A man walked into a local police station, dropped a
bag of cocaine on the counter, informed the desk sergeant that it
was substandard cut, and asked that the person who sold it to him
be arrested immediately.
Indiana: A man walked up to a cashier at a grocery store and
demanded all the money in the register. When the cashier handed
him the loot, he fled -- leaving his wallet on the counter.
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Feel free to pass this newsletter along to your friends.
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"FED UP" with crime and prison overcrowding???
Together, we CAN make a difference...
http://www.reducecrime.org
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