From the Editor
by Richard Resch
Happy New Year and welcome to Criminal Legal News (“CLN”). If you’re reading this, you’re likely familiar with the Human Rights Defense Center (“HRDC”) and its companion publication, Prison Legal News (“PLN”). We’ve sent the first issue of CLN to all current PLN subscribers and associates. Starting with the February 2018 issue, we’ll be providing review samples of CLN to a much wider audience, including many readers who may not be familiar with HRDC or PLN. Accordingly, the February issue will include a similar welcome message from me but explaining in detail who we are, our mission, publication format, and issues covered. So for now, I’ll just talk a little about CLN’s content areas.
In general, CLN has the same basic layout and features as PLN, so it will seem familiar to PLN readers. CLN contains the same timely and relevant legal news and features as PLN, but CLN provides practical legal news you can use about the criminal justice system prior to confinement and post-conviction relief. CLN is dedicated to educating and informing readers about their constitutional rights and relevant developments in criminal and constitutional law as they pertain to all interactions with and phases of the criminal justice system, except conditions of confinement, which are already covered by PLN.
CLN’s coverage includes criminal law and procedure, police brutality, prosecutorial misconduct, habeas corpus relief, ineffective counsel, sentencing errors and reform, militarization of the police, surveillance state, junk science, wrongful convictions, false confessions, witness misidentification, paid/incentivized informants, post-release supervision, search and seizure violations, right to remain silent, right to counsel, right to a speedy trial, due process rights, and the seemingly inexorable expansion of the police state in America.
Simply put, PLN covers all issues regarding conditions of confinement, whereas CLN covers all legal issues prior to and after confinement. Between the two publications, every possible interaction with the criminal justice system is reported, analyzed, and exposed.
Let me know what you think of the magazine and our coverage. If you win or settle against the police or other law enforcement agency, please send a copy of the complaint or claim and the verdict or settlement in the case to me. Please subscribe to CLN and encourage others to do so as well.
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