Nobody Knows for Sure
by Casey J. Bastian
If you were asked to identify the exact number of acts that are considered a federal “crime” in the U.S., could you do it? The answer is almost certainly no. No one, not even the federal government itself, knows the answer. Shockingly, ...
by Casey J. Bastian
In modern America, the idea of forensic “science” being infallible has nearly made it a form of religion to many. And our justice systems perpetuate the idea that “expert” witnesses use forensic “science” to “prove” a prosecutor’s criminal allegations. Law enforcement at all levels, including the ...
by Casey J. Bastian
America is the world’s leader in rates of incarceration. This country consists of only 5% of the world’s total population, yet it houses about 25% of the world’s prisoners. As of 2021, there were actively more than 2.1 million people in jails and prisons in the ...
by Casey J. Bastian
Across America, “cover charges” are frequently alleged against citizens during encounters with police—especially when it’s a questionable “use of force” situation. Experts have identified a typical pattern involving this abusive tactic. A police officer will use excessive force, unnecessarily injure that person, and then create a ...
by Casey J. Bastian
Prosecutors are charged with the solemn duty to ensure our criminal justice systems function in an impartial, fair, and faithful manner. To that end, prosecutors are afforded broad discretionary powers concerning the implementation of their sacred duties: who to charge and with what crimes, requesting ...
by Casey J. Bastian
Phyllis Riles’ daily life is the embodiment of her favorite Gandhi quote: “Where there’s love, there’s life.” Such a belief is the place from which her life’s work at the Freedom Commons Academy (“FCA”) springs forth. The housing development is for those recently released from incarceration ...
by Casey J. Bastian
The unnecessary deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are examples of incidents that have raised public awareness and hastened conversations about racial bias in the criminal justice system. Reforms in policing have received the lion’s share of people’s attention. However, the possibility of racial bias ...
by Casey J. Bastian
The civil rights we all inherently possess, and that are ostensibly still protected by the U.S. Constitution, would be rendered meaningless if no redress were available for having been violated. The ability to vindicate these rights in a court of law should itself be a fundamental ...
by Casey J. Bastian
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, health and safety preventative measures have impacted nearly every area of our society. Experts were concerned about what impact, if any, do measures such as mask mandates and virtual courtrooms have on the criminal justice system. After reviewing ...
by Casey J. Bastian
The existence of racial disparity in federal sentencing practices is a common, well-researched issue. The greatest proportion of studies focus on the aggregate disparity between the imposed sentence length of Black versus white defendants. Research has also been conducted on the total disparate sentences Hispanic defendants ...
