Recently, the libertarian Reason magazine called attention to Linn County. The Sheriff's Office there has just purchased a BearCat G2 armored vehicle for $297,061. They apparently got the money for the military vehicle through civil asset forfeiture.Civil asset...
Month: August 2019
Clearing up confusion: Are CBD products still illegal in Iowa?
On May 13, 2019, Iowa's governor signed the Iowa Hemp Act. Many supporters saw this as an opportunity for products containing hemp-derived Cannabidiol (CBD) to be manufactured, sold and bought within the state.Months later however, the legality of CBD products remains...
ABA, NACDL urge Congress to fully fund federal First Step Act
The American Bar Association's (ABA's) House of Delegates and the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (NACDL) have just passed a unanimous resolution urging Congress to fully fund the federal First Step Act and to make it retroactive.As we've discussed...
Diversion programs limit the consequences of criminal convictions
Diversion programs offer a way for people with minimal criminal histories to avoid becoming trapped in the criminal justice system."You don't want to see people make that one mistake in life and have to live with it for the rest of their lives," commented the...
Some eyewitnesses are mistaken. Is it possible to tell who?
In many criminal cases, the police rely on the testimony of an eyewitness to the crime. Eyewitnesses may have crucial information about what happened, of course. They are also frequently used to identify a suspect. These identifications are typically done by having...
