GUILTY

Dearbhla Kelly, 06/22/12

Writer and Yoga Teacher

They were freedom yogis, practicing to find liberation behind bars. Imagine how confronting and challenging -- and how meaningful and transformative -- it would be to show up to your yoga mat every day if you were in jail for life.

Mari Fagel, 06/22/12

Legal News Reporter, Host & Analyst

So how do we move forward now, after hearing about the nightmares these men say they lived as little boys, stories of screams that went unanswered, abuse that went unnoticed?

Jason Silverstein, 06/22/12

PhD student, Department of Anthropology at Harvard

Taking DNA samples from people arrested, but not convicted of a crime, has the potential to make our already unfair justice system even less fair. Before we expand the preconviction DNA dragnet, we should think hard about what that means in a racially biased system.

David Vognar, 06/22/12

Literacy Aide, Jane Addams Hull House Association

While David Kennedy's strategy is unlikely to quickly change the diverse causes of homicides or address non-violent crime, his logic may be wise. As more data come in, Chicago will see if the strategy is enlightened or not.

Ernest Drucker, 06/21/12

Epidemiologist, Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health

The present surge in homicides in Mexico and the region is yet another tale of America's maintaining our own expensive drug habits at the expense of our neighboring nations' fundamental well being. But the July 1 presidential election in Mexico may be a turning point.

Robert Slayton, 06/22/12

Professor of History, Chapman University

This incident involves the case of Colonel James H. Johnson III. Colonel Johnson was of military royalty -- his father had commanded the 82nd Airborne Division. Then Col. Johnson ran afoul of any principle of military or even civilian law.

Brandon L. Garrett, 06/21/12

Roy L. and Rosamond Woodruff Morgan Professor of Law, University of Virginia

Very few companies are prosecuted and even fewer are convicted at criminal trials. In 2011 it was only nine companies, or less than 6% of the total.

Byron Williams, 06/21/12

Columnist, author, and pastor

Under Florida's stand your ground law, can one leave the safety of one's vehicle, ignore police instructions, and still be exonerated without a jury?

Michael Busch, 06/21/12

Lecturer, Departments of Political Science and International Studies, The City College of New York

Happily, political scientists and others have crafted a wide variety of analytical tools with which to understand the world of international politics. It's time to be smarter and more deliberate in applying them to the threat of transnational organized crime.

Sandip Roy, 06/21/12

Culture editor, Firstpost.com; editor, New America Media

Gupta's supporters will say he took on the government because he was convinced of his own innocence. As was Ravi. But was it a conviction born out of a sense of his own innocence or a hubris born out of wealth and privilege?

Rev. Al Sharpton, 06/20/12

President, National Action Network

Attempting to argue that AG Holder somehow withheld information with regards to the Fast and Furious case, Rep. Darrell Issa has engaged in a political witch hunt that proves only one thing: the hypocrisy of GOP members for personal and Party benefit.

Diane Dimond, 06/20/12

Television journalist, author, syndicated columnist

Think to yourself: What's your deepest, darkest secret? Now, can you imagine how difficult it would be to repeatedly tell strangers about it? Detectives, mental health workers, prosecutors and then, ultimately, jurors at a trial.

Marianne Mollmann, 06/19/12

Senior Policy Advisor, Amnesty International

Obesity, like being caught in the criminal justice system, is a condition disproportionately suffered by the poor and the relatively powerless. And it is self-perpetuating. Extra padding, much like a criminal record, is easier to acquire than to shed.

Howard Steven Friedman, 06/19/12

Statistician/Economist for International Organization, Columbia University

The major components in America's poor rating are its high incarceration rate, high potential for terrorist attacks, access to weapons and disrespect for human life.

Locke Bowman, 06/19/12

Director, The Roderick MacArthur Justice Center, Northwestern

There are 67 cases in which the Chicago Police collected "evidence" of serious wrongdoing against a person who turned out to be innocent. That's a number to be ashamed of.

Luis J. Rodriguez, 06/19/12

Author, “It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing.”

For twenty years Mara Salvatrucha-13 and 18th Street brought devastating violence to the poor and war-torn country of El Salvador, helping make it the most violent country in the hemisphere.

Keli Goff, 06/18/12

Author, Commentator and Contributing Editor, TheLoop21.com

Why is it that law enforcement seems incapable of protecting children from offenders like Moland, who, despite proving themselves to be dangerous parents, are not held accountable for any future parenting choices they may make?