Jul 19, 2008
By Robert Jones
The subject of this essay was suggested by one of our readers named Fotini, whom I thank.
Systems designed by nature are sometimes less than perfect, and those designed by humans are ocertainly not perfect. An example is our criminal justice system.
A 1995 book describing a 10-year study of evidence and assessments gathered from criminal justice system personnel indicated that approximately 0.5 percent of persons convicted of felonies were probably innocent. If the estimate is accurate, that amounts to some 10,000 innocent persons ... Read More
Jun 19, 2008
By Robert Jones
If there ever was someone who seemed destined to lead a life of crime, it was Ernesto Arturo. He was born in Arizona in 1941. By the time he was in the eighth grade, he had already been convicted of a crime. The following year, he served a year in reform school for burglary and, a month later, was sent right back. He moved to Los Angeles and was soon arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and minor sex offenses. He was ... Read More
Jun 11, 2008
By Bill Lindblad
That warning has shifted from ubiquitous to superfluous over the past twenty-five years. If you don’t know that smoking can damage your lungs, endanger your child’s birth weight, increase blood pressure, cause cancer and do just about everything but empty your bank account and taunt you with calls from Barbados, you haven’t been paying attention.Sometimes [...]
That warning has shifted from ubiquitous to superfluous over the past twenty-five years. If you don't know that smoking can damage your lungs, endanger your child's birth weight, increase blood pressure, cause cancer and do just about everything but empty your bank account and taunt you with calls from Barbados, you haven't been paying attention.Sometimes we get personal reminders of the danger. Anyone who saw Charlie Grant in the last couple of years of his life couldn't help but have the hazards ... Read More
