Lots of news again this week. 1. The News and Observer ran this story, the opening line of which is "[e]very case former State Bureau of Investigation Agent Duane Deaver touched is now a potential land mine." It's an interesting read, and it raises some serious legal issues. Plus, my colleague Jessie Smith is quoted. I should add that a letter to the editor in the newspaper yesterday asserted that "[a] recent statement made by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) in effect clears Deaver of any wrongdoing." I haven't followed all the details of this issue closely enough to know which statement is referenced. If someone else does, please let me know or post a comment. Update: here it is. 2. The General Assembly continues to work away. Perhaps the most interesting development of the week was the unveiling of the Council of State Government's recommendations for "justice reinvestment." Broadly, the idea is to save money on corrections by running a better probation system, and to plow the savings into reducing recidivism. As described here, the recommendations include "immediate, short-term punishments [short of full revocation] on probationers who fail a drug test or fail to report to their probation officers." A more detailed summary of the proposals -- including changes to the habitual felon laws and the expansion of post-release supervision -- is available here. 3. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned developments in connection with the Racial Justice Act. The Act has drawn national attention, and [...]
Faculty Coordinators
