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PENNSYLVANIA AND THE DEATH PENALTY

The death penalty was reinstituted in Pennsylvania in 1976. Despite having the fourth largest death row inmate population in the country for over two decades, only three inmates have been executed in Pennsylvania since the reinstitution. We will take a look at the tumultuous history of the death penalty in Pennsylvania, the future of the punishment,

DESIGNER AND SYNTHETIC DRUGS

Designer and synthetic drugs remain tremendously popular in many regions of Pennsylvania. The drugs are attractive to users because they offer extreme highs at a lower price. Additionally, some of these synthetic drugs do not register on traditional drug tests. That fact coupled with the drugs’ accessibility leads some to believe that synthetic drugs are

K2 AND BATH SALTS

In 2017, there were 158 reported K2 overdoses in Lancaster, Pennsylvania over the course of just one week. Again, in May 2018, the city experienced an upswing of reported K2 overdoses. In the preceding months, the reported number of K2 overdoses has remained extremely high-  occasionally surpassing the number of opioid overdoses reported in the region.

THE STAIRCASE’S 5 MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

Netflix’s The Staircase is the binge worthy true crime series of summer 2018. The series follows Michael Patterson, a North Carolina man charged in connection to his wife’s death, during his 16-year long battle to prove his innocence in court. The Staircase has been the subject of a great deal of criticism and debate; however, it offers several important

WHAT IS CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY?

The word conspiracy is generally used to describe theories about aliens and fake moon landings. Criminal conspiracy sounds more like an activity reserved for gangsters, dark rooms, and hushed tones. However, criminal conspiracy charges are among the most common criminal charges in the state of Pennsylvania. What is Criminal Conspiracy? The crime of conspiracy must

INCENTIVIZED INFORMANTS

Season two of the Accused podcast focuses on the murder investigation of Retha Welch. Welch, a religious recovering addict who used her free time to minister prison inmates, was found stabbed and beaten in her Newport, Kentucky apartment in April of 1987. Police soon focused in on William Virgil, a former inmate whom Welch had counseled, as

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: THE CONFESSION TAPES AND FALSE CONFESSIONS

*** THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND SERIES SPOILERS *** In episode 5 of Netflix’s The Confession Tapes, we are reminded of the 1984 murder of 49-year-old D.C. wife and mother, Catherine Fuller. Fuller’s body was sodomized with a foreign object, and her body was found viciously beaten. The murder, as one medical examiner describes, was

JUVENILE LIFERS RECEIVE A SECOND CHANCE

Juvenile offenders who were previously sentenced to mandatory life without parole may now seek resentencing by a trial court. A January 2016 decision by the Supreme Court in Montgomery v Louisiana now allows juvenile offenders to appeal their life without parole sentence. This ruling is particularly contentious here in Pennsylvania as current PA law does not allow

MAKING A MURDERER: CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN POPULAR CULTURE

Making a Murderer, the new documentary series from the popular streaming site Netflix has ignited a firestorm of national conversation about the criminal justice system in America. Exploring the controversial and confusing case of Steven Avery, filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos have raised questions about the responsibilities of prosecutors and police and captured the

DRUG DOGS AND TRAFFIC STOPS

A traffic stop can put fear in the average driver for a variety of reasons. At first, it may be unclear why an officer pulled you over. Were you speeding or swerving in and out of lanes? Did you miss a turn signal or stop sign? Is one of your taillights out? As we all