On June 14, 2016, the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) presented our colleague, Atty. Anne C. Goldbach, with the Clarence Gideon Award, an honor not awarded every year, but presented to only those worthy to be recognized as champions of the noblest principle that all persons shall stand equal before the law. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: June 2016
Massachusetts Has Lost An Indigent Defense Giant
Gerry Schaefer surrounded by old colleagues at the CPCS 25th Anniversary Party in 2009.
Attorney Gerry Schaefer, former head of the Massachusetts Defender Committee (MDC), passed away earlier this month at his home in Easthampton, MA. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Gerry, I’ve heard many heartfelt and remarkable stories from long time and former defenders. They speak of him fondly as they have relayed their stories of what he meant to indigent defense in Massachusetts. I believe the last time Gerry was seen by many was in July 2009 at the Committee for Public Counsel Services 25th Anniversary celebration held at the John Adams Courthouse at which he made a rare appearance. Continue reading
High School Suspensions Cost The Country $35 Billion Annually, Report Estimates
When students get suspended from school for a few days, they may not be the only ones who miss out. A report released by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project tries for the first time to quantify the full social cost of so-called “exclusionary discipline.”
Here is the link to the story on NPR.
Police routinely read juveniles their Miranda rights, but do kids really understand them?
Not surprisingly the answer is no. Here is the ABA article.
Here is a link to the Grisso study published in 1980: Juveniles’ Capacity to Waive Miranda Rights: An Empirical Study