| MONITOR NOTES | | The following are notes from WATCH volunteer monitors.
During the sentencing of a defendant convicted of possession of pornography involving minors, the judge made it clear that just because the victims were not in the
courtroom or personally known to the defendant did not mean it was a victimless crime.
At times, in-custody defendants in domestic violence court appeared puzzled and confused. I wondered if they
sometimes had a hard time hearing everything from inside the glass box. The judge did an excellent job of noting their uncertainty and took the time to carefully rephrase and repeat information in a loud, clear voice.
In a case where the defendant was brought in on multiple violations of the no contact order, one of the attorneys commented, off the record, "the victim is just as bad - she keeps recanting."
No one apologized for or explained the long wait time in court or gave direction regarding the process for checking in. It is as if people are supposed to know [what to do] by osmosis.
One case was continued because the court thought the
defendant was in custody in Anoka County. After the case
was rescheduled, they learned he had been released from
custody in order to appear in Hennepin County and had been
sitting in the courtroom.
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WATCH
| bringing a public
eye to justice
608 2nd Ave S. #465
Mpls, MN 55402
(612) 341-2747
watch@watchmn.org
www.watchmn.org
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ARTICLE
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: UPHOLD FEDERAL GUN LAWS
| | by Marna Anderson, WATCH Executive Director
I received shocking and sad news recently that a childhood friend of mine took her life. She had suffered from bi-polar disorder and addiction and purchased a gun one week prior to
the suicide. The next day, the Tucson shooting ended six lives.
According to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, every day more than 80 Americans die from firearms. Our children are 16 times more likely to be murdered with a gun, 11 times more
likely to commit suicide with a gun, and 9 times more likely to die from a gun accident than children in 25 other industrialized countries combined (Centers for Disease Control).
Still, even in light of these alarming statistics, Americans are reluctant to put into place greater gun safety and control laws. In the aftermath of the Tucson shooting, the debate over gun control and the 2nd amendment is being heatedly discussed as we work to figure out how the shooting could have been avoided. And to add fuel to the debate here in Minnesota, Republicans have proposed
and are making headway with repealing the state's system of gun background checks and permits because they believe it
to be duplicative of federal laws. Read the full article.
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TRAINING
CREATING DEFENDANT CHRONOLOGIES | | |
Join us for the next WATCH webinar:
Defendant Chronologies:
Using Criminal Histories to Address Chronic Offenders
Chronologies are written histories of an offender's life of crime that WATCH publishes in its newsletter. Chronologies are used to highlight gaps in the legal system, document escalating levels of violence, and make recommendations for improvement. This webinar is a step-by-step guide to creating your own defendant chronologies. Topics include choosing a defendant, obtaining court records, and organizing and publishing your data.
See a sample chronology.
Date & Time: Tuesday, March 29th, 1-2pm (CST) Cost: $50 NACMP member rate: $35
Contact: Anna Light or (612) 341-2747 x7.
*9:30 am Pacific, 10:30 am Mountain, 12:30 pm Eastern
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| STAFF CHANGES | | It is with a heavy heart that I am letting you know that I will be leaving my role as WATCH's National Project Director this month. After six years I have decided to take some time off to spend with my family and our new baby.
It has been very exciting over the years to watch the growth of so many of your programs as well as the growth of the National Association of Court Monitoring Programs. I hope you will continue to take advantage of WATCH and its many resources. For technical assistance questions please feel free to contact the main office line at (612) 341-2747 or watch@watchmn.org.
Best of luck to you in your continued work to keep the court system open and accessible to the public!
Sincerely,
Dawn Dougherty
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NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
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