Category Archives: Victimless Crimes

On a June afternoon in 2007, U.S. Senator John Cornyn sounded eminently reasonable. In a floor speech, the rangy, snow-haired Texan said that of all the legislative issues hed wrangled with during his four years in the Senate, immigration reform had produced the most controversy. Passion, he avowed, can produce more heat than light, but what we need is some light and some clear thinking and some better solutions to our broken borders and our broken immigration system.

Less than two hours before, Cornyn had voted against a comprehensive immigration reform bill, the fruit of months of bipartisan negotiations and a Hail Mary attempt to salvage President George W. Bushs otherwise disastrous second term. The measure died by a tally of 46-53.

Frank Sharry, a long-time immigration reform advocate, had decamped with allies to a bar near the Capitol to mourn the bills defeat. When the senator from Texas appeared on a television screen, Sharrys blood pressure rose. Were sitting there just heartbroken; this was probably the last chance we would have for reform for many, many years, said Sharry, now director of the pro-immigrant nonprofit Americas Voice. And who takes to the floor? John Cornyn, to give a 15-minute speech on the need for immigration reform. I swear to God, if I could have reached through the TV and throttled the motherfucker, I would have.

If that reaction seems a tad trenchant, consider that Cornyns 2007 vote was part of a pattern. Throughout the years, the Houston-native claimed to be open to comprehensive immigration reform. When Cornyn took over the Senates immigration subcommittee in 2005, he wrote: We must address the need for better border security while acknowledging the important contributions that immigrants make to our economy. The anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform bemoaned his ascension to chairman, while pro-immigrant organization the National Immigration Forum saw it as a hopeful sign.

Yet a gulf would open between the senators actions and words. In 2006, 2007, and 2013, Cornyn voted against hard-fought compromises that made it to the Senate floor and, in his critics eyes, further undermined the bills through grandstanding and bad faith amendments.

Many casual observers dont know what to make of Cornyn, whos up for re-election next year: A recent poll found that nearly a third of Texans have no opinion of him whatsoever. With his dry wit and genteel manner, Cornyn comes off as inoffensive, if a bit arrogant. But his immigration record suggests a politician closer to Jeff Sessions than John McCain, more Ted Cruz than Jeff Flake. Just ask the hundreds of thousands of undocumented Texans who live in the same shadows they did in 2002, when Cornyn took office.

He talks a good game, but his behavior does not demonstrate that he was serious about reform, said Cecilia Muoz, a former advocate with the National Council of La Raza and later a top Obama policy advisor. As a result, weve been living with a broken system for his entire tenure in the Senate.

Though he wasnt always precise on the details, George W. Bush wanted immigration reform. The chamber-friendly Texan was eager to deliver for both his business allies and his many Hispanic supporters. September 11 put the kibosh on such dovishness soon after he took office, but Bush revived the matter in the run-up to his reelection campaign. In January 2004, he began calling for Congress to make a deal.

In 2005, Cornyn began working on a bill with Arizona Republican John Kyl. But a more formidable duo was also at work: McCain, Arizonas better-known senator, and Massachusetts Democrat Ted Kennedy. McCain and Kennedy released their proposal months ahead of Cornyn and Kyl, and their bipartisan plan eclipsed the latters more conservative offering. By spring of 2006, Bush was publicly signaling his support for the McCain-Kennedy dealopening a rare rift between the president and his home states junior senator.

Cornyn had ridden Bushs coattails to power and defended the presidents worst policies. In 2005, Cornyn was one of only nine senators to side with the White House against a McCain-led ban on cruel and inhumane treatment of war prisoners. Which is to say, Cornyn stood by Bush on torture, but a slightly-too-liberal immigration bill was a bridge too far.

Cornyn had two major bones to pick with the McCain-Kennedy bill: The measure put most undocumented immigrants in America on a path to citizenship without making them leave the country first, and its new work visa program allowed many more to also transition to citizenship. Cornyn wanted a visa program that didnt lead to permanent status, and under his legislation undocumented immigrants already in the country would have to return to their home country and apply from there. McCain lambasted Cornyns plan. The reality is, 11 million people are not going to voluntarily come out of the shadows just to be shipped home, McCain said. Report-to-deport is not a reality, and it isnt workable.

In May 2006, Cornyn voted no on McCain-Kennedy. The bill passed anyway, 62-36, with support from such wild-eyed liberals as Lindsay Graham, Sam Brownback, and Mitch McConnell.

Ultimately, it was the GOP-controlled House that killed reform in 2006. House Republicans had passed their own bill in late 2005 that was all crackdown with nothing for the pro-immigrant side, and they refused to consider the Senate measure. With a tough midterm looming, the GOP conference had no appetite for compromise. (They would be, it bears noting, wiped out anyway.) Cornyns defenders say he had correctly read the lower chamber and pushed for a bill that might survive there. He was trying to assess the House, said John Feehery, a political consultant and former press secretary for Republican House Speaker Denny Hastert. He was trying to thread a fine needle I always saw him as a force trying to find a middle ground.

But immigrant advocates disagree. If Cornyn wanted reform, they argue, he should have supported the bipartisan legislation and used his role to nudge House Republicans toward compromise. Instead, his vote was a signal to many House members who were on the fence: If a border-state, moderate-sounding senator cant get to yes, maybe its not for me, Sharry said.

Then there was 2007. This time, Cornyn and Kyl joined the group negotiating a new reform bill, but the former didnt last long. In May of that year, in an ornate Capitol meeting room, Cornyn was pushing for harsher deportation measures when McCain reportedly burst out: This is chickenshit, and suggested the Texas senator was trying to tank the deal. The exchange continued until eventually McCain, then a presidential candidate, delivered a hearty fuck you. In a later interview, Cornyn joked: I didnt so much walk away as got chased away.

But Kyl stayed in, and the bill that emerged was more conservative than its 2006 predecessor. The new measures visa program didnt allow most workers to transition to permanent status; it also introduced border security triggers, requirements that a new border wall and agents be deployed and the government achieve full operational control of the U.S.-Mexico divide before anyone got permanent status; it even forced already present heads of household to return home before qualifying for a green card, a nod to Cornyns hobby horse from the year prior.

Still, Cornyn wouldnt bite. He decided the bill needed to exclude immigrants who had outstanding deportation orders or whod returned to America after being removeda group numbering at least 600,000. Cornyn dramatized those victimless crimes, saying the migrants had thumbed their noses at the law, but the bills negotiators thwarted him, calling the amendment a deal-killer. In June 2007, Cornyn voted against the final bill, which failed to pass the Senate. (In a bid to bring in more Republicans, the measure had hemorrhaged liberal backing: 15 Democrats opposed it, plus Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who criticized the measure on labor grounds.)

If John Cornyn was ever going to vote for an immigration reform bill, that was the one, Sharry said. That year, Cornyn was condemned by the El Paso Times and the Dallas Morning News for abandoning the president and Texas large immigrant population. Later that year, Massey Villarreal, an ex-chair of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, joined the chorus of disapproval. Cornyn has joined the ranks of the know-nothing, do-nothing obstructionists who refuse to deal with the immigration issue in a manner that will lead to responsible and practical reform, Villarreal wrote.

Just months after his no vote, Cornyn issued a warning to GOP candidates that seemed to encapsulate his political approach. My suggestion to those engaging in the Republican primary battle is to be very careful that you dont give the wrong impression by either how you talk about [immigration] or the tone you use, he said. It can quickly get out of hand if youre not careful.

The 2007 bills collapse killed Bushs dream of adding immigration reform to his legacy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, head of the newly Democratic lower chamber, declined to pursue a House version, preferring to shield freshly elected moderates in her caucus from controversy. With full reform off the table, Democrats tried twice, in late 2007 and 2010, to pass a stand-alone DREAM Actlegislation that would only furnish status to those brought to America as children. Despite previous support, Cornyn voted against both bills, claiming the legislation should be part of a larger reform packagesuch as those hed already voted against.

For Sharry, Cornyns actions were utterly calculated: The senator wanted to please big business and Hispanic Republicans without alienating an ever-more revanchist base. So hell talk a good game, make sure he gets to no, and therefore preserve his electability in Texas, Sharry said. Feehery, the Republican consultant, had a somewhat different take. Cornyns somebody who would like to make legislative progress on an issue, but he also doesnt want to commit political hari-kari, he said, adding that Bushs approval ratings were in the tank by 2006, so pulling away from the president bore little political cost.

By 2013, when reform resurfaced, Cornyns tune had grown familiar. After Obamas 2012 blowout victory, a Republican National Committee autopsy report said the party had to back immigration reform or perish. A team of senators again crafted a proposal, and Cornyn again balked, this time saying the border security triggers needed to be stronger. The bill passed without his support, 68-32.

According to a Politico post-mortem, the 2013 effort had serious legs in the Republican House. But a campaign led by the GOPs staunchest nativistsIowa Congressman Steve King, then-Senator Jeff Sessions, and his now infamous aide Stephen Millerdestabilized support. Cornyn, befitting his style, didnt meddle in the lower chamber, but he hurt the cause in two ways: He dragged out Senate deliberations with long speeches against the bill and he helped thwart a symbolic goal, set by the bills negotiators, to reach 70 votes. The New York Times editorial board named Cornyn as an ally of Sessions in trying to kill the deal.

Cornyn did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Trumps election, and his decision to take immigration cues from the borderline white nationalist Miller, has shunted comprehensive reform aside. These days, immigrant advocates spend their days scrambling to put out fires, rather than pushing a proactive agenda.

In late 2017, after then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivalsthe Obama-era directive that shielded migrants brought to America as childrenCornyn threw himself into the fray to find a fix. But in the end, Cornyn backed a Trump proposal that included a nativists Christmas list of anti-immigrant provisions, rather than competing measures that stood a chance at Senate passage. In a legislative bloodbath, all proposals failedleaving the so-called Dreamers in the lurch.

Now Cornyn faces a tough re-election fight. An army of little-known Democrats has declared challenges, encouraged by Beto ORourkes near-defeat of Cruz in 2018. In Trumps ongoing impeachment saga, Cornyn has become an unscrupulous defender of the president. But hes always shied from Trumps more incendiary rhetoric about migrants and the border. On immigration, Texas voters may want to consider Cornyns record, not just his words.

Asked about immigration reform earlier this year, Cornyn struck a wistful note. Its the same old story, isnt it? he said. Itll break your heart; we never quite get to the finish line.

Perhaps the senators grief is legitimate. Its surely dwarfed, though, by the regret of Americas 11 million undocumented residents, who remain in limbo after all his years in office.

Read more from the Observer:

The rest is here:

John Cornyns Weaselly Immigration Record - The Texas Observer

The Peach State has received a considerable amount of money from the federal government to combat crime and improve public safety.

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Claire Murray and Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan joined Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp on Tuesday in announcing awards of almost $153 million to fight crime and improve community safety in Georgia.

Nearly $4.3 million will help law enforcement officials and victim service providers in the state investigate and prosecute human traffickers and aid human trafficking survivors. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Byung J. BJay Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Charlie Peeler and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also participated in the announcement.

Human trafficking is a cruel and barbaric practice that calls to mind the darkest moments of our history, and sadly it has left its mark on the communities of Georgia, said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Murray. Under the direction of Attorney General Barr, the Department of Justice is putting the full weight of its resources behind the brave men and women of the state who are fighting trafficking perpetrators and bringing relief to victims. We commend these courageous and compassionate professionals and are proud to lend them our full support.

Human trafficking is an obscene violation of human rights and human dignity, affecting millions of people worldwide, countless victims in this country and hundreds if not thousands of men, women and children right here in Georgia, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sullivan. We are so grateful to the law enforcement officers who pursue these vicious criminals and to the dedicated service providers who work around the clock to get survivors the help they so desperately need and deserve.

Department officials and First Lady Kemp made the announcement at a press event alongside law enforcement officials, anti-trafficking advocates and members of the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. Georgias leaders have concentrated the states resources on fighting human trafficking, establishing a Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in the Georgia Department of Law. First Lady Kemp co-chairs the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education, or GRACE, Commission, a task force of public officials, law enforcement and health care professionals, for-profit and non-profit organizations and subject matter experts dedicated to combating human trafficking in Georgia.

Many trafficking victims in Georgia are teenagers who are sexually exploited. Of the 375 cases reported from the state to the National Human Trafficking Hotline last year, most involved sex trafficking and almost a quarter involved a minor. During an FBI-led, month-long, nationwide operation focused on recovering child victims of sex trafficking, known as Operation Independence Day, the FBI, in cooperation with 400 law enforcement agencies, identified and/or recovered more than 100 child victims of sex trafficking, including seven in Georgia. Law enforcement officials also arrested 67 suspected traffickers. Grantee organizations that received previous Justice Department funding served 140 human trafficking clients in 2018.

The awards today support a range of activities designed to bring sex and labor traffickers to justice and provide critical services to victims. A grant to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will fund a multidisciplinary task force composed of law enforcement agencies, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and several victim service organizations. Funds will also support direct victim services provided under the auspices of the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking. Other awards will help ensure that children and minors who are victimized receive counseling, case management and other critical services. Georgia Care Connection Office, Inc.; Wellspring Living, Inc.; Tapestri, Inc.; and the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy are among the grant recipients.

Human and sex trafficking are not victimless crimes. These grants will go a long way in not just furthering our prosecutorial efforts for these terrible crimes, but also in providing much needed victim-centered services. Our office continues to be fully committed to eradicating human trafficking within the Northern District of Georgia, said Byung J. BJay Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

In Georgia, the fight against human trafficking is a coordinated effort of federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecuting agencies working together to identify, arrest and prosecute those who choose to engage in this horrific industry, said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Charlie Peeler. In the Middle District, we aggressively investigate and prosecute cases where offenders prey on vulnerable citizens, taking advantage of their age, their desire for love and affection, their financial status and their addictions. I am confident that these federal dollars will provide critical support to those who are dedicated to protecting victims and arresting perpetrators, which will lead to the end of human trafficking in our state.

Human trafficking is a pervasive, growing threat plaguing communities across our state and country, said First Lady Kemp. I applaud the federal, state and local partners who are committed to healing victims, seeking justice and holding bad actors accountable. By working together, we will end this criminal enterprise once and for all.

We thank the Department of Justice for making it possible for us to continue and expand on our anti-trafficking efforts in Georgia, said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. The resources announced today, will help ensure more victims in Georgia get the support they need and help ensure that our law enforcement officials have every tool at their disposal to put buyers and traffickers behind bars where they belong.

The remainder of the states awards cover a wide range of criminal justice, juvenile justice and victim service activities. Grants will support school safety initiatives, law enforcement hiring, services for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, inmate reentry services, youth mentoring and efforts to combat online child exploitation and manage sex offenders. Awards were made by the three grant-making components of the Department of Justice OJP, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office on Violence Against Women.

View original post here:

DOJ Awards ~$153 Million to Reduce Crime, Improve Public Safety in Georgia - All On Georgia

The Nov. 7 commentary by Tom Wetzel and Denise DeBiase about victimless crimes pointed out a feature of human nature that applies to many behavior choices beyond drug use and prostitution.

Day after day, we tend to pursue immediate pleasure for now over enduring future comfort, the two often being opposites.

We smoke cigarettes now, knowing we risk lung cancer in the future. We indulge in sugar and fat now, then bemoan our fates later when we have heart disease. Surely, the apostle Paul spoke for all humanity when he said, I do what I know I shouldnt and I dont do what I know I should.

Why do we humans, who are supposed to be so much smarter than all other animals, intentionally do things to harm ourselves, when all other creatures instinctively do what is best for themselves?

The enemy is not us, and the solution is not ours. Both the enemy and the solution lie within us, but they come from elsewhere.

Conrad Lindes,

Middleburg Heights

Original post:

We know better, but do harmful things anyway - cleveland.com

Five trafficking suspects will face court in the Philippines following a series of operations earlier this month that led to the rescue of five under-age girls from sexual exploitation.

The suspects were caught offering under-age girls for sexual exploitation online in exchange for money from an online predator. The five victims rescued were aged from 14 to 17 years old.

In addition to five rescued victims, four other children were removed as at-risk for assessment to determine if they too were victimised, according to a statement from Australian Federal Police. They include a 10-month-old, an 11-month-old and two two-year-olds.

The operations were the result of referrals from the Australian Federal Police to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre and supported by International Justice Mission.

Its happening because there is demand from our side as consumers. Caroly Houmes

International Justice Mission is the largest anti-trafficking organisation in the world. In an episode forEternityspodcastUndeceptions,Caroly Houmes, head of IJM in Australia, told John Dickson that cybersex trafficking is rife in places such as the Philippines and Cambodia and Australians sitting at home behind their screens are among the perpetrators.

Its happening because there is demand from our side as consumers, said Houmes.

Philippines is a country where vulnerability is high. But almost every household has access to the internet and they speak English really well. Those are two things that make it actually quite easy to commit this crime.

Houmes told Dickson that, in the past, children in the Philippines were at risk of exploitation in brothels. Sex tourism from the West has historically created real problems in the country.

But now, there is rapid growth in a whole new crime known as Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC). According to IJM, officials in the Philippines received 60,000 reports of OSEC in 2018 almost 20,000 more than the previous year.

Australian Federal Police are working with IJM as part of the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre a collective effort of law enforcement representatives from Philippines, Australia and the UK to try to prevent online exploitation of children.

This type of abuse can be even worse than being in a brothel because home is not safe. Caroly Houmes

Houmes says there is a damaging misconception that online sexual exploitation is a victimless crime or in some way less damaging than children working in brothels.

Theres this idea that, well, at least these children forced to pose naked in front of the camera might still be allowed to go to school.

But to me, this type of abuse can be even worse than being in a brothel because home is not safe. Its their own parents or neighbours people close to them making them do these things. They have to do things that their minds and their bodies cant even comprehend yet. Its real abuse.

IJM says it has supported Philippines law enforcement agencies in the arrest of 232 OSEC suspects and in the rescue of 549 victims around the country since 2011.

Erica Merrin, Acting Commander of the Australian Federal Police in South East Asia, said the recent operation that led to the rescue of five child victims and the arrest of five alleged facilitators showed the effectiveness of the collaborative approach of law enforcement with International Justice Mission.

No child should have to experience sexual exploitation and suffer the lifelong impacts of this abhorrent crime. [This] outcome shows the commitment of the AFP and our partners to combat transnational child sexual exploitation, whether the offenders and victims are in Australia or abroad.

Listen to the full episode eight of Undeceptions here: Cybersex Trafficking. Undeceptions is hosted by author and historian John Dickson and seeks to tackle common myths and misconceptions about the Christian faith.

See original here:

Five victims rescued from online sexual exploitation - Eternity News

As state and federal policymakers are brainstorming ways to reduce prison populations and establish alternatives to incarceration, Iowa Auditor Rob Sand wants to go backward.

Sand is asking the Iowa Legislature to pass a bill requiring prison time for people convicted of a felony for stealing $1,000 or more of taxpayer money.

White-collar criminals frequently receive soft sentences, Sand laments, and often avoid jail time altogether. His bill would not impose mandatory minimums, but would mandate some amount of jail time, perhaps only days or weeks in some cases.

If we tell people who do this youre going to be treated like a criminal, I think we actually can deter people from doing it because theyre less likely to risk that reputational value, Sand told me in an interview last week.

I get it. Fraudsters are bad people. Bad people deserve to go to jail, or so weve been told. Most Iowans probably agree with Sands idea.

However, I challenge Iowans to reconsider the knee-jerk reaction to lock up people who do bad things. There are other ways to enforce laws and manage offenders, some of which actually work, unlike mass incarceration.

The open secret about our criminal justice system is that prison is not a great way to deter criminals. A significant body of research shows this, but people who write and enforce laws often ignore it.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

In a brief published during the Obama administration, the National Institute of Justice summarized it as such: Prisons are good for punishing criminals and keeping them off the street, but prison sentences unlikely to deter future crime.

There is relatively little research about whether short prison sentences are an effective deterrent to financial crimes like the ones Sands proposal focuses on, but given everything else we know about incarceration, we have to wonder.

In most cases, incarceration is not a strategy to prevent future crimes or physically restrain people who are imminent threats to others. Its a tool to satisfy our desire for vengeance.

Tough-on-crime policymaking has been a disaster, making the United States the world leader in incarceration. There are an estimated 2.2 million people in American prisons and jails, a 500 percent increase over the last 40 years, according to the Sentencing Project.

It cannot be the case that Americans are simply more criminal than other people. This is a systematic problem.

Encouragingly, Americans are evolving on the issues of crime and punishment. There is an emerging consensus that mandatory sentences are bad, and that imprisoning people has negative unintended consequences on society.

I admit it is difficult to get too worked up about thieves serving short jail sentences for stealing taxpayer money at a moment when we know peaceful people have been sent away for decades for victimless crimes.

We must recognize that jailing people who deserve it does not set free the people who dont. Quite the opposite, new sentencing mandates will grow and embolden the incarceration state, tightening its grip on current victims and claiming new ones.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

The movement to radically diminish the role of incarceration got national attention this month following the sentencing of Amber Guyger, a Texas police officer convicted of murdering a black man in his own apartment last year.

Many Americans were rightly frustrated that Guygers 10-year sentence seemed out of line with punishments handed down to people of color who have committed far less serious crimes.

In an essay published in the Appeal, lawyer and justice reformer Elisabeth Epps made the case that Guyger should be held accountable in some form, but not in a jail cell.

Abolitionists want and work to create a world where prisons need not exist. A necessary step in abolishing prisons, a prerequisite to ending mass incarceration, is stopping the inhumane practice of keeping people in cages even people like killer cop Guyger. Why?

Because people do not belong in cages, Epps wrote.

We have other tools besides cages. There are promising models for restorative and rehabilitative justice that seek to right whats wrong, rather than simply building more jail cells that we cant afford.

Prison abolition is a radical movement, but one whose vision a world where prisons need not exist we all should embrace.

We cant close the prisons tomorrow. But we can stop passing new laws to mandate prison time.

Comments: (319) 339-3156; adam.sullivan@thegazette.com

See the article here:

Iowa considers stepping backward on criminal justice reform - The Gazette

Congress is drawing up legislation to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for allegedly whisking its citizens out of the United States after they run afoul of the criminal justice system, some of whom are wanted for manslaughter, rape and child pornography.

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed theSaudi Fugitive Declassification Act, the latest legislative salvo targeting the kingdom as it continues to hemorrhage credibility on Capitol Hill.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would require the FBI to declassify any and all information regarding Saudi efforts to extricate their citizens while they were awaiting trial or sentencing for a criminal offense committed in the United States.

These are not academic matters, and this is not about a series of victimless crimes, Wyden said on the Senate floor shortly before his bill passed. When individuals charged with egregious, violent crimes manage to escape and when the United States government fails to do much of anything about it it undermines public safety and harms the US justice system.

Assuming the bill also passes the House with a veto-proof majority, the FBI declassification could prompt Congress to pass harsher legislation cracking down on Riyadh for allegedly spiriting Saudi students charged with serious crimes out of the United States.

Wyden and his fellow Oregon Democrat, Sen. Jeff Merkley, first introduced a series of harsher bills earlier this year afterThe Oregonianpublished a series of reports outlining Riyadhs suspected role in helping at least 25 Saudi suspects flee the United States and Canada.

The Oregonians investigation began after a Saudi college student allegedly killed 15-year-old Fallon Smart in a hit-and-run incident. The Saudi consulate in Los Angeles provided the student,AbdulrahamSameer Noorah, with private defense attorneys and posted $100,000 for his bail. After his release on bail, Noorah sliced off his ankle tracking monitor, obtained a fake passport and reemerged in Saudi Arabia after fleeing the country on a private jet.

The Department of Homeland Security suspects that Riyadh facilitated the escape of Noorah and several other suspects, including seven in Oregon alone. Lawmakers believe that Saudi Arabias Los Angeles consulate has coordinated the escape of several other suspects.

The Oregon suspects includeAli Hussain Alhamoud and Abdulaziz Al Duways on rape charges, Suliman Ali Algwaiz for striking a homeless man with his car and Waleed Ali Alharthi on child sex abuse charges. Saudi Arabia has also allegedly removed suspects wanted in Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Should the Justice Department provide information on the cases, Wyden and Merkley could move forward with harsher legislation.

WydensPreserving American Justice Actwould ban visas for descendants of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud as well as members of Saudi Arabias Council of Ministers and their immediate family members until Riyadh extradites the suspects to the United States. It would also remove US tax exemptions for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund as long as Riyadh continues helping suspects flee.

For his part, Merkley succeeded in adding a provision to the annual State Department funding bill in September that would require Attorney General William Barr and Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to report to Congress on the role Saudi diplomats have played in removing suspects from the United States.

And MerkleysEscape of Saudi Nationals Actwould shut down Saudi Arabias Los Angeles consulate unless it expels any diplomats involved in helping the suspects flee. Upon introducing the bill, Merkley likened the consulates flaunting of diplomatic norms to Saudi Arabias assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate.

In fact, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch, R-Idaho, included Merkleys Escape of Saudi Nationals Act in a bill that would have sanctioned Saudi Arabia for the Khashoggi murder. However, Risch withdrewthe White House-backed billafter committee members amended the legislation with more stringent sanctions that had drawn a veto threat from President Donald Trump.

See original here:

Congress puts heat on Saudis for helping fugitives flee country - Al-Monitor

Two Troy University fraternities were recently suspended for hazing, which is a recurring problem at our nations colleges. According to Wikipedia, 20 college students have died in hazing incidents this decade. Economics can offer insight into how initiation rituals help build groups and why hazing persists.

In addition to fraternities and sororities, bands, sports teams, firefighters, and military units have all had abusive initiations exposed. Economists would hope that our insights will apply across different groups.

Economics distinguishes between positive and normative analysis. Positive analysis focuses on factual questions, cause and effect, and how things work. Normative economics deals with questions about what should be.

My discussion is positive. Personally I did not join a fraternity and consider initiation rituals ridiculous. Economists focus on understanding practices in society without imposing personal biases. We should understand what rituals do before we possibly ban hazing.

Enduring initiation signals a new members commitment to a groups cause or purpose. Initiation differs from training. Training develops skills used in group tasks; initiation generally does not. Demanding training can cause many applicants to drop out, similar to initiation.

What types of groups benefit from making prospective members signal commitment? Ones where the group experience or its performance depends on members actions and effort, and where the valued types of effort are difficult to describe. Fires and coworkers carelessness can put firefighters in grave danger. Firefighters need to have each others backs, and in ways that go beyond training protocols. Initiation signals this willingness.

Initiation screens prospective members. Sometimes a group can enroll all applicants and boot those failing to perform. Natural limits on group size make signaling more valuable. Only eleven players play football at once, only so many firefighters ride on a truck, and an exclusive fraternity or sorority cannot admit everyone.

Signaling also generates value when other ways of screening fail to identify high quality applicants. The inability of resumes, interviews, and background checks to identify the best potential members makes signaling more important.

An action works as a signal when only outstanding potential members willingly take the action. That is, a good signal separates the prospective great members from others. Many things serve as signals in life; I recently wrote about Professor Bryan Caplans book on higher education as a signal.

Economic models of signaling reveal an unpleasant truth: a signal is valuable because it is costly. Initiation rituals consequently must be unpleasant or humiliating. A pleasurable initiation would not deter any would-be members.

Initiation likely persists because it helps sustain cohesive groups. Yet even if hazing works, alternatives may exist. Perhaps a less costly signal could still separate the prospective good and bad members. The initiation could be less demeaning and dangerous and not cross the line into hazing and still help a fraternity or fire department function effectively.

Human emotions can make initiations unnecessarily dangerous or persist when no longer needed. Turnabout may not be fair play, but is a natural reaction after we undergo a trial. Rituals may not be precise and are carried out by members with imperfect memories. Members may believe they endured worse abuse than occurred and unintentionally push exercise and drinking into hazing.

Economics also suggests that preventing hazing will be difficult. A cooperative victim greatly facilitates criminal prosecutions. Normally crime victims want their attacker punished. Prosecuting victimless crimes like drugs or gambling is difficult because all parties voluntarily participate; few gamblers want their bookie arrested and put out of business.

Young men and women choose to join fraternities and sororities and undergo initiation. Pledges will be reluctant to report hazing, even with websites and hazing hotlines. And illegality serves as a further barrier to reporting; a fraternity member risks punishment when reporting an initiation that went too far.

Should initiations be done away with as a relic of the past? Perhaps, but we should recognize that they play a role in building valued groups in society. We should constantly assess if safer initiations can serve the signaling function.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.

Link:

The persistent problem of hazing - Yellowhammer News - Yellowhammer News

Prosecutors are NOT willing to letLori Loughlin off the hook so easily.

Earlier, we heard theFull House stars chances of getting a late game plea deal had gone up thanks to a departmental dispute.

She and fashion designer hubbyMossimo Giannulli were arrested as part of the infamous Operation Varsity Blues and accused of bribing USC officials $500,000 to get their daughters fraudulently put on the crew team (despite the fact neither rowed) to ensure their conditional acceptance to the college.

The couple pleaded not guilty, but with their acknowledgement of the crimes caught on audio recording and others involved having already confessed and pled guilty, the case seems like a slam dunk.

However, insiders said prosecutors were worried after theprobation departments sentencing report of fellow college admissions scandal participantFelicity Huffman, which judged the crime to be victimless.

Related:Alec Baldwin Doesnt Think Felicity Or Lori Should Serve Jail Time!

Considering colleges only admit a certain number of students every year, cheating your way into those opportunities definitely knocks innocent people off the list, but OK. Lets say enough people think this way. Does it mean Lori is more likely to win her trial? Or to face an incredibly light sentence if she is found guilty?

Well, it turns out prosecutors are open to a plea deal, but theyre coming at it from a position of strength they just hit the Giannulllis with yet ANOTHER new charge to go along with mail fraud and money laundering.

The US Attorney out of Boston just charged 11 of the 15 parents who had pleaded not guilty with a new crime: federal program bribery.

The bribery chargecarries a max 5-year sentence btw, bringing Lori and Mossimos possible sentence to an intimidating 45 years.

Apparently the families were all given the heads up. They had a chance to reverse their pleas or else they would face even more charges, and four of the parents took deals.

(Some of the athletic officials involved were also hit by the bribery charges, as well asnew fraud conspiracy charges. The prosecutors are NOT messing around.)

However, since Lori and Moss chose not to fold under the threat of another charge, they likely wont take a plea deal at all. They vowed to fight this and they apparently still plan to.

So how are the girls taking all this? You know, the beneficiaries of all the alleged crimes,Olivia Jade andIsabella Giannulli?

Theyre still living their best lives following officially cutting ties from USC; on Monday night they went to see theJonas Brothers!

The infamous young women were spotted at the concert sharing a 4-seat box with with two girlfriends. Olivias on-again boyfriendJackson Guthy was in a nearby box with three other guys.

According to witnesses spilling toET, the couple met in the middle for a big kiss whenNick Jonas sangJealous!

Awwww. How romantic! Its like all the criminal charges and lifelong ignominy just melt away

[Image viaAdriana M. Barraza/WENN/Olivia Jade/Instagram.]

Continued here:

Lori Loughlin Charged With ANOTHER Crime As Daughters Chill Out At Jonas Brothers Concert! - PerezHilton.com

Share this with your friends

Peachtree NORML, which operates out of Georgia, is helping to raise funds for expungement and reform efforts through Reform Georgia. Expungement efforts are critical because the criminal process for cannabis offenders often isnt very fair, and the consequences of a victimless crime can last a lifetime.

The more you know about cannabis, the more obvious it is that the most dangerous thing you can do with this popular plant is get caught by law enforcement with it in the wrong state. Because cannabis crimes have been such a massive source of civil asset forfeiture funds federal law enforcement funding, police officers who could be solving rapes, murders, and other violent crimes are instead knocking down the doors of people accused of possessing small amounts of a plant.

Sharon Ravert is the founding director of Peachtree NORML. Shes also felt the effects of the War on Drugs close to home when her daughter, Brittany, became the target of local police. The story of Brittany is one that combines the abuses of the War on Drugs with a shocking lack of perspective from both the law enforcement officers involved and the prosecutor who handled the case.

Brittany was a college hopeful when she went to bed. Unfortunately for her, the Lumpkin County Sherrifs Department showed up at her home that night in a military-style raid. She reports that they pulled her out of her bed by her hair while threatening her with a firearm before they marched her up into the living room while officers, including a man she had previously dated, went through her personal belongings and even her underwear. In the end, all they found was about one-and-a-half grams of cannabis. Still, they charged her with misdemeanor possession, felony distribution, and felony manufacturing charges for that one little bag of weed.

Overall, the sentences associated with those penalties could have resulted in 26 years in prison for young Brittany, and her family had to empty her college savings to help her fight them. Many others also find that the charges they face are so exaggerated and carry such a long sentence that they dont dare do anything but plead guilty, resulting in a criminal record that can haunt them forever.

While legalization and medical cannabis laws have changed the experiences of some people, there are still many others left vulnerable by draconian prohibition laws. In addition to pushing for legalization, it is also important that activists remember the need to expunge the records of those who became victims of the War on Drugs.

Organizations like Peachtree NORML and Reform Georgia are helping push for change in states that dont have good cannabis policies. Donating or helping them by spreading the word can help them undo the harm caused by years of prohibition.

Peachtree NORML, which operates out of Georgia, is helping to raise funds for expungement and reform efforts through Reform Georgia. https://www.facebook.com/ReformGeorgia. Expungement efforts are critical because the criminal process for cannabis offenders often isnt very fair, and the consequences of a victimless crime can last a lifetime.

The more you know about cannabis, the more obvious it is that the most dangerous thing you can do with this popular plant is get caught by law enforcement with it in the wrong state. Because cannabis crimes have been such a massive source of civil asset forfeiture funds federal law enforcement funding, police officers who could be solving rapes, murders, and other violent crimes are instead knocking down the doors of people accused of possessing small amounts of a plant.

Sharon Ravert is the founding director of Peachtree NORML. Shes also felt the effects of the War on Drugs close to home when her daughter, Brittany, became the target of local police. The story of Brittany is one that combines the abuses of the War on Drugs with a shocking lack of perspective from both the law enforcement officers involved and the prosecutor who handled the case.

Brittany was a college hopeful when she went to bed. Unfortunately for her, the Lumpkin County Sherrifs Department showed up at her home that night in a military-style raid. She reports that they pulled her out of her bed by her hair while threatening her with a firearm before they marched her up into the living room while officers, including a man she had previously dated, went through her personal belongings and even her underwear. In the end, all they found was about one-and-a-half grams of cannabis. Still, they charged her with misdemeanor possession, felony distribution, and felony manufacturing charges for that one little bag of weed.

Overall, the sentences associated with those penalties could have resulted in 26 years in prison for young Brittany, and her family had to empty her college savings to help her fight them. Many others also find that the charges they face are so exaggerated and carry such a long sentence that they dont dare do anything but plead guilty, resulting in a criminal record that can haunt them forever.

While legalization and medical cannabis laws have changed the experiences of some people, there are still many others left vulnerable by draconian prohibition laws. In addition to pushing for legalization, it is also important that activists remember the need to expunge the records of those who became victims of the War on Drugs.

Organizations like Peachtree NORML and Reform Georgia are helping push for change in states that dont have good cannabis policies. While national expungement week may be over, the fight continues all year. Donating or helping them by spreading the word can help them undo the harm caused by years of prohibition.

For previous Ladybud articles about police raids, click here.

Go here to see the original:

Helping Reduce the Human Cost of Cannabis Prohibition in Georgia - Ladybud Magazine

NEW YORK CITY -- By 2013, the Big Apple's ATM operators were in crisis. According to industry sources, an estimated four to five automated teller machines fell victim to robberies once a week. That number would often jump to multiple robberies a day. As overall crime decreased to record lows in New York City, robberies of ATMs were incongruously soaring to new heights. Even for the city that never sleeps, this was a profoundly distressing pattern.

Jim Shrayef of Everything ATM (Brooklyn, NY) told Vending Times that the robberies took various forms. These included simply removing a freestanding ATM, using a handtruck, from a location during business hours, to well-coordinated efforts that saw machines yanked out of locations with a chain or rope. In several instances, the criminals attacked closed stores, breaking in with the specific purpose of robbing the ATM. Most disturbing, he said, were robberies of route personnel filling machines. Aside from the robberies, there was also a fair amount of vandalism taking place.

Shrayef operates equipment through Everything ATM, which also provides consulting services and support material to those entering the cash machine field. He found the stealing and crime situation particularly alarming. "These were not random attacks, and this was not stealing lunch money," he said. "They were specialized criminals who saw ATMs as easy targets."

Local police were initially less than responsive in the face of the crime wave, often only taking a report without a follow-up investigation. Sometimes suspicion would fall on the ATM operator or location owner. Part of the problem was the age-old view among law enforcement and the general public that ATM robberies, like those of vending machines, were so-called "victimless crimes." As such, they were given low priority status.

The solution came when Shrayef began organizing independent operators to address the problem. Forming the Northeast Regional ATM Association, which unified ATM deployers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The concept behind the new association was not only to create a means of sharing information, but also to offer a way to lobby locally.

A first step for the new association was to educate ATM operators in best practices when it came to safety and security. This begins with identifying suspicious behavior and obtaining details of a robbery. The regional organization, which works osely with the much larger National ATM Council, also began lobbying the New York Police Department, eventually landing meetings with community affairs officers

Calling All Cars

Shrayef recalled that the initial meetings with the New York Police Department were often less than pleasant. "We thought it was going to be just a formality," he said. "And some of the operators made angry comments to the officers. However, our complaints worked their way up to Police Commissioner William Bratton, and he lent an ear. He actually sent people out to do some fact finding."

Bratton's investigation discovered what equipment owners and operators had long suspected: ATM robberies were not random. Neither were they "inside jobs" committed by operators or storeowners. They were the work of organized criminal gangs operating throughout New York City's five boroughs.

"Commissioner Bratton took the time to hear what we had to say," Shrayef said. "And he understood how dangerous it was. He understood how our industry is necessary to neighborhoods underserved by banks." In many New York neighborhoods, an ATM that goes out of service at the local grocery store can prove disruptive for the storeowner and the community at large. The ATM crime spree represented a quality of life issue.

A police taskforce was formed that soon led to arrests. Robbery incidents of ATMs began to drop quickly once the NYPD took action and allocated resources to the problem. "After some arrests were made, it was clear these were gangs that had knowledge of the industry," Shrayef explained. "The criminals also realized the police were on to them, and they were taking a major risk by robbing ATMs. Within a year, there was a marked drop from the height of 2013, and within two years a major improvement."

Present incidents of ATM robberies, as Shrayef reported, have dropped dramatically from the 2013 highs of several a week to one or two a month throughout the city. "Some months have been completely robbery free," he added.

While Bratton may have left office in 2016, his successor, Commissioner James O'Neill, has kept up the proactive approach that has seen ATM robberies drop to new low levels that reflect the city's historic low crime rate. And all it took was a group of dedicated operators who wanted their voices heard.

TEAMWORK CONTINUES: George Sarantopoulos (l.), chairman of the National ATM Council, Jim Shrayef (second from l.), president of the Northeast Regional ATM Association, and Danny Frank (r.), NRATMA's executive director, meet with NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, who succeeded Bill Bratton last year.

Read more:

Operators Join Forces With Law Enforcement, Driving Down ATM ... - Vending Times