RFK inspired supporters like no other Jun 05, 2008
Youngstown Vindicator
Thursday, June 5, 2008
In this era of perpetual political campaigns, in this season of the almost-never-ending Democratic primary, it may be surprising to know that one of Americas most inspired and remembered primary cam...
Where should sex offenders live? May 12, 2008
Youngstown Vindicator
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sex offenders recently won a battle in Ohio regarding residency restrictions; however, the war rages on to incarcerate, supervise, restrict, and otherwise alienate sex offenders.
Ohio is one of 22 s...
Expand Drug Courts, Reduce Crime Apr 13, 2008
Youngstown Vindicator
April 6, 2008
The treatment and rehabilitation of criminal offenders has made a comeback. Once looked upon with disdain, treatment is making an impact on crime. During the early 1970s a flamboyant criminologist named Robert...
No Rush to Judgment Apr 13, 2008
Pennsylvania Law Weekly
March 31, 2008
Only days into the New Year a 12 year-old Florida boy was arrested for the murder of his 17 month-old cousin. He beat the toddler to death with a baseball bat. The boy told police the victim, a little girl, w...
Handle Juvenile Lifers Cautiously Mar 13, 2008
Youngstown Vindicator
March 9, 2008
There is renewed urgency to abolish life without parole (LWOP) for juveniles. In the last several weeks The New York Times, among other outlets, have called for a halt in sending juveniles to prison for life w...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Legal scholars have long suggested that hard cases make bad law. With the case of Daryl R. Atkins it might be said a bad case mad...
Republican hopefuls try to renew their 'ownership' of the law-and-order issue
By Matthew T. Mangino
Special to the Law Weekly
Editor's Note: This is the...
Crime and the Road to the White House Jan 25, 2008
Crime and the Road to the White House
The Democratic contenders haven't placed 'law and order' front and center
By Matthew T. Mangino
Special to the Law Weekly
Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part series. Next week, Mangino will ...
Lethal injection debate stalls executions in U.S. Jan 20, 2008
Lethal injection debate stalls executions in U.S.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The recent argument before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding lethal injection points to the surreal nature of the death penalty debate in the United States. The two death...
Myths pervade death-penalty debate Jan 13, 2008
Lancaster New Era (PA)
Published: August 16, 2007
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - There are three common misconceptions about the death penalty. Opponents of the death penalty have forcefully and consistently argued that execution is not a deterren...
Prison overcrowding demands attention Dec 17, 2007
Youngstown Vindicator
December 16, 2007
Policy makers are again gearing up to take on the daunting problem of exponential prison growth. Unfortunately, instead of aggressively looking at system-wide reform, legislators and criminal justice prac...
Sentencing Guidelines: Another Look Nov 13, 2007
Pennsylvania Law Weekly
November 12, 2007
The tenuous balance between a judges discretion and the weight to be given sentence guidelines is about to take yet another turn. The U.S. Supreme Court opened its current term with two cases that invo...
Virginia Sentencing Plan Proves to be Success Nov 13, 2007
Youngstown Vindicator
November 11, 2007
In this era of perpetual campaigns, candidates often stake their future on draconian, reactionary crime-fighting legislation to get a boost in the polls. Political rhetoric is always subject to skepticism, ...
Elder Abuse is a Growing Scourge Nov 13, 2007
Youngstown Vindicator
October 7, 2007
Every 2.7 minutes in this country an elderly person is victimized. The abuse and exploitation of older Americans is a growing problem.
In Ohio, Pennsylvania and across the country, policymakers are struggli...
An 'Absolute Nightmare' Sep 24, 2007
Should a child molestation statute directed at adults be wielded against minor offenders?
By Matthew T. Mangino
Special to the Law Weekly
Why is Genarlow Wilson still in prison? Wilson was an honor student and star athlete at Douglas County H...
More police on the street means less crime Sep 04, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007, Youngstown Vindicator
For the second year in a row, violent crime has risen nationwide. The rate for 2006 indicates a rather modest increase of 1.3 percent. The increase as reported in the FBI Preliminary Annual Uniform C...
Discretion bettor part of valor for prosecutor Aug 07, 2007
Youngstown Vindicator, August 5, 2007
Prosecutors are the most powerful force in the criminal justice system. A prosecutor has wide discretion to choose who to charge, what to charge and if to charge. In 37 states a prosecutor literally has the di...
Andrew Speaker has a drug resistant form of tuberculosis that could become contagious. Speaker is a 31 year-old lawyer from Georgia. He recently traveled to Europe for his wedding and h...
Plea bargaining a necessary evil Jul 19, 2007
Matthew T. Mangino
Youngstown Vindicator
April 13, 2007
There are no two words associated with the criminal justice system that are more maligned and misunderstood than plea bargain. Many crime victims despise those two words even more than...
A terrorist plot to blow-up a fuel pipe-line at JFK International Airport was recently foiled by federal investigators. The early reports indicate a drug dealer turned informant played a cru...
Lewis "Scooter" Libby is no stranger to political firestorms. As a lawyer he represented Marc Rich, the financier who was indicted on nearly 50 counts of tax evasion and granted a pardon at the close of the...
An interesting death penalty issue is churning in Louisiana and will ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Louisiana is one of five, soon to be six, states that include c...
The label "snitch" has always been thought of with disdain. Negative connotations have gone beyond the self-serving criminal looking for a deal to the innocent victim or witness who cooperated with police. T...
William J. Leusink, Jarred Mitchell and Luis Eduardo Betancur didnt know each other. On May 22, 2006, Leusink and Betancur were in dangerous, far off lands.&nb...
Vindy.com Opinion Story Published: Sunday, March 4, 2007
Bullying takes huge toll on victims, perpetrators
Last December, outgoing Gov. Robert A. Taft signed into law a statute prohibiting harassment, intimidat...
Twisted Justice Feb 13, 2007
By: Matthew T. Mangino
Pennsylvania Law Weekly
February 12, 2007
Mike Nifong, the district attorney of Durham County, North Carolina and Duke lacrosse fame, will soon take his place among immortals like Niccoli Machiavelli, Franz Kafka...
Published: Youngstown Vindicator, Sunday, February 4, 2007
Homicide rates skyrocket in cities
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Ford's courage in office hurt political ambitions Youngstown Vindicator Sunday, January 7, 2007 Gerald R. Ford, our 38th President, who died Dec. 26. is the only president to assume office without being elected on a national ticket. H...
Why the Democrats Won or the Republicans Lost Nov 21, 2006
Pennsylvania Law Weekly
November 20, 2006
Why the Democrats Won or the Republicans Lost
By: Matthew T. Mangino
Pennsylvanians awoke on November 8th to find a whole new political landscape in Pennsylvania and across the country. Governor R...
Pennsylvania Looks to Define Marriage By: Matthew T. Mangino Youngstown Vindicator June 11, 2006 Last week the United States Senate voted against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, despite the support of President Bush...
Moussaoui's antics are nothing new Sunday, May 14, 2006 Youngstown Vindicator Zacarias Moussaoui's request to withdraw his guilty plea is not a surprise. His bizarre conduct throughout the trial often pushed Judge Leonie M. Brinkema t...
Our Liberty: What Good Is It May 09, 2006
Our Liberty: What Good Is It By Matthew Mangino Pennsylvania Law Weekly May 1, 2006 America has long been a shining beacon of freedom and liberty. Thomas Jefferson wrote of life, liberty and the pursuit of ha...
By Matthew T. Mangino Youngstown Vindicator, April 9, 2006 America has long been a shining beacon of freedom and liberty. Thomas Jefferson wrote of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the declaration of independence. Now...
Matthew T. Mangino The Pennsylvania Law Weekly March 6, 2006
CSI effect (csi ife`kt) n. the result produced by a fictional television crime fighting drama, which creates in its viewers a dubious understanding of the law, which...
By Matthew T. Mangino The Youngstown Vindicator March 5, 2006
The nearly 40 million TV viewers, who sit down every week to watch CSI, whether its the Las Vegas, Miami or New York variety, are being introduced to an unrealistic por...
Clarence Elkins is a free man today because modern technology was deadly accurate and the eyewitness was dead wrong. A relatively new form of DNA analysis cleared the Ca...
By Matthew T. Mangino Special to the Pennsylvania Law Weekly
In November 2001, Gregory David Ludwig challenged the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's Drug Delivery Resulting in Death statute. Allegheny County Court of Comm...
Dear Mr. President: You were able to successfully campaign for re-election as president of the United States without more than scant reference to domestic crime. In fact, ...
By Matthew T. Mangino Special to the Pennsylvania Law Weekly
Jason West is the 26-year-old mayor of New Paltz, New York. The village has approximately 6,000 inhabitants, is home to State University of New York at New Paltz, and i...
By Matthew T. Mangino Special to the Pennsylvania Law Weekly
This spring, the U.S. Supreme Court sent shock waves through the ranks of prosecutors across the country. The court's unanimous decision in Crawford vs. Washington, Doc...
Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime in America. Unlike other crimes, identity theft requires no direct contact with victims and is particular...
Frustrated by overwhelming and persistent public support for the death penalty, opponents of the death penalty are using a nationwide call for a moratorium as a strategy to stop executions. Capital punis...
Every day, across the commonwealth, ordinary people leave their families, their jobs and their co-workers, to appear in court. Often it's to testify, but at times it is just to show their interest ...
In 1994, John Popovich, a 34-year-old convicted felon, was found guilty on charges of forging a drug prescription -- a crime committed almost exclusively by substance abusers. He was sentenced to five years pro...
