http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Waco attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr. gives behind-the-scenes insight into criminal justice cases and issues. Reaves has been a criminal defense attorney since 1981. A graduate of the University of Houston Law School, he has served on the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association board and currently serves on the Innocence Project of Texas board. en-us walterreaves@att.net 2009-09-17T17:23:20-06:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Waco attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr. gives behind-the-scenes insight into criminal justice cases and issues. Reaves has been a criminal defense attorney since 1981. A graduate of the University of Houston Law School, he has served on the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association board and currently serves on the Innocence Project of Texas board. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. Yesterday Ohio tried to execute Romell Broom. Like Texas, Ohio uses the lethal injection to carry out executions. Naturally, that requires injections, which requires needles and veins. Mr. Broom’s veins are not in... http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/09/17/should_you_get_more_than_one_b.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. Yesterday Ohio tried to execute Romell Broom. Like Texas, Ohio uses the lethal injection to carry out executions. Naturally, that requires injections, which requires needles and veins. Mr. Broom’s veins are not in... 14826803@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-09-17T17:23:20-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/09/14/will_fingerprints_become_obsol.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing last week on forensics in the criminal justice system. The focus was mainly on what to with the recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences in their recent report. One of the... 14753503@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-09-14T07:54:51-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/08/29/mexico_takes_the_plunge.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences I’m surprised this hasn’t received more coverage. Mexico recently decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs. It is now legal in Mexico to possess small amounts of drugs - not just marijuana, but also drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine,... 14538103@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-08-29T09:57:11-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/08/21/is_innocence_a_technicality.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences The Supreme Court this week delivered an unusual decision in the case of Troy Davis. Using a procedure that hasn’t been used for 50 years, the Court sent the case back to the District Court to allow Davis an opportunity... 14429803@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-08-21T16:09:24-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/08/15/innovative_approach_to_drug_de.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences When police and prosecutors talk about dealing with the drug problem the standard approach is increased prosecution and longer sentences. That has been the approach for years, even though it has been hugely unsuccessful. Drug use has not decreased; the... 14324403@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-08-15T11:18:31-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/07/23/reducing_the_budget_by_releasi.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences So far Texas has avoided the budget crisis that some states are experiencing. It may only be a matter of time, and state agencies are understandably looking at ways to trim their budgets. One of the biggest budgets is the... 13972403@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-07-23T13:16:21-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/07/19/a_new_approach_for_dwi_cases.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Over the years “getting tough on DWI” has been a standard platform for all politicians. Legislators rarely miss a chance to “toughen” the penalties; whether it be increased fines, surcharges or other collateral punishments. Opposing those efforts is sure to... 13899903@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-07-19T13:29:55-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/07/11/why_you_havent_heard_from_me.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences I haven’t written anything in awhile and wanted to let you know why. I accompanied my son on a backpacking trip to New Mexico, and was gone for almost two weeks. I had a lot to do before going, including... 13786103@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-07-11T10:36:29-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/07/11/is_president_obama_really_a_su.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Most people have heard about the Federal Supermax prison in Florence, CO. It is supposed to be the most secure prison in the United States; if you are a terrorist or someone who is considered really dangerous this is where... 13786003@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-07-11T10:25:56-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/06/21/jumping_the_gun.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences The Dallas Morning News recently had a story about an English teacher who had been accused of sexually assaulting a student. Unfortunately, there is nothing unusual about that. However, the story quickly took an unusual turn. The following day the... 13366303@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-06-21T21:53:04-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/06/16/the_impact_of_pregnancy.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Its not unusual to see a pregnant defendant in court. Some end getting sent to prison; it would probably surprise many people to learn just how many pregnant females there are in the prison system. In some cases, a defendant’s... 13401903@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-06-16T12:31:23-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/05/31/how_safe_are_you.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences Today’s paper has two articles that ought to cause anyone to wonder just how private their personal information really is. The first is a story about a prosecutor in Colorado who decided to go after illegal immigrants. His tactic -... 13110603@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-05-31T09:20:02-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/05/28/what_do_voter_id_and_innocence.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences I have had a number of things going on the last several weeks, and have not had an opportunity to post on this blog. There also hasn’t been that much to comment on. However, the legislature is in session, and... 13059203@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-05-28T13:16:52-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/05/12/dont_skip_jury_duty_in_collin.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences A Collin County man was recently released from jail after serving 83 days in jail. The charge was that he skipped jury duty! Apparently, in Collin County if you don’t show up for jury duty a warrant was issued. The... 12754003@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-05-12T12:12:46-06:00 http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/entries/2009/05/07/banishment.html?cxntfid=blogs_crime_and_consequences I always thought banishment was unconstitutional - something about freedom of association and travel. I’ve had a number of clients offer to leave the County or State, but that has usually not gone over well. Apparently Georgia takes a view.... 12654503@http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/crimeandconsequences/ 2009-05-07T08:16:29-06:00