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 ...
by Casey J. Bastian
Forensic technologies are constantly being innovated in an ongoing effort to correctly solve crimes and create a better justice system. Identifying the correct suspect is vital to administering true justice. The sole detective in the recently created Delray Beach Police Department’s (“DBPD”) Cold Case Unit (“CCU”) ...
Procedural Deficiencies in Cause of Death Reporting Systems Cause Extensive Underreporting of Fatal Police Violence
by Casey J. Bastian
Our nation is experiencing a recent period of forced enlightenment. The scope of violent or fatal encounters with American law enforcement is now considered by many experts to qualify as a ...
by Casey J. Bastian
No one should fear picking up the phone and asking for help. This is the premise of Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (known as “B-HEARD”), a recently launched mental health program in New York City. The philosophy of B-HEARD is that when people are experiencing ...
