Resources

David was on KXAN yesterday morning with some advice for parents and teenagers on how to avoid being arrested for venting on Facebook. Check out the video below:

I received a call today from a dad whose daughter had been cited at her prom for Minor in Consumption of alcohol. Because it was a school-related event, she was facing disciplinary sanctions at school. As we got further into the conversation, she already had received disciplinary sanctions: She was going to be sent to […]

I agree with pretty much everything that Houston attorney Kevin Pennell writes in his editorial in the Houston Chronicle about former federal judge Sam Kent, but it still bothers me. (Previous post on Kent here.) He’s right, of course – Kent isn’t being taught skills that will prepare him for life outside of the jail; […]

You know what’s a harsh word to see in print? RAPE. I thought about using a euphemism in the subject line up there, but there aren’t really any that convey what the word means, and anyway — the NYPD officer who used it when explaining what’d happen in jail to a guy with a video […]

It’s been a while since we made any mention of Busted! In Austin, the weekly rag that runs mugshots of people who were arrested and sells ’em at trashy convenience stores and gas stations for a dollar. Clickthrough on that link in the previous sentence and you’ll get a good idea of what we think […]

Well, it had to happen. It’s awfully hard to demonize a suspect accused of a crime when you’re left strictly with the power of words, and the news media, unfortunately, does often see its role as demonizing the accused. (How else would people know how bad they are?) Dropping scare quotes around when referring to […]

Scott Greenfield’s blog brought this story to my attention: A parolee released from prison just two and a half weeks ago was arrested Saturday in connection with the worst carnage the City of Buffalo has experienced in at least three decades. But before the day ended, law enforcement officials said they think they got the […]

During law school, I was a TA for Professor Michelle Alexander’s Federal Litigation Clinic. Aside from being an outstanding clinical professor, she did outstanding work with the ACLU’s Driving While Brown project when we were in law school. She’s not a criminal defense lawyer, but she writes like one. CNN recently picked up a great […]

As I’ve spent the past week or so delving into puppycide cases, in which the police kill a dog who presents no real threat (or who they have no valid reason for being around), one thing comes up whenever you see a discussion online, often from people who we’d otherwise agree with: With all of […]

I recently attended the 5th Annual Seedling Foundation Mentor Appreciation Lunch. The Seedling Foundation is an Austin non-profit that runs a school-based mentoring program for children who are suffering from grief or loss. Most of our kids have a parent who is in prison. This afternoon was the end of the year celebration to thank […]