As prison sentences have become longer, and as more prisoners are given whole-life tariffs or given minimum sentences of 20, 30 or 40 years, it is harder to persuade them to hold back on their violent instincts. They have nothing to lose. If you are serving a long sentence, you can feel as if you don't have a life ahead of you—your family may well have disowned you, your relationships may have broken down.
The gay and trans panic defence, also known as LGBTQ+ panic defence, is a legal strategy. The defence is an attempt for those accused of a crime against a queer person (or person perceived as LGBTQ+) to reduce or evade criminal liability. This occurs when the defendant claims they reacted because of an unwanted sexual advance.
Valdo Calocane attacked a police officer who was helping doctors to detain him two years before he fatally stabbed three people in Nottingham, a public inquiry has heard. Footage released by Nottinghamshire Police shows Calocane headbutting, punching and swinging handcuffs at Police Constable Barnaby Pritchard on 3, September 2021. The attack caused swelling to the officer's face.
Spiralling backlogs mean a shocking 29 cases including violent crimes and drug offences have been scheduled to start as far away as 2030, with victims left waiting at least four years to have their day in court. In total, more than 2,600 Crown Court trials are not due to be heard until 2028, including 206 rape trials.
We're spread so thin that nobody's really been given the opportunity to be adequately trained for some of the assignments that we're sent off to. The situation hasn't gotten any better, and our concerns are the same, and they're growing. Staffing shortages have existed for years in the criminal division and are being exacerbated as the San Francisco district attorney's office files more cases.
Many of us behind the wall believe the system isn't built for justice it's built for conviction. So we're learning the law to fight from the inside. Years ago, while in county lockup, I came across a Dylan Thomas poem I didn't fully understand. It read: Do not go gentle into that good night Rage, rage against the dying of the light. I liked the rhythm and the urgency of it.
I mean, I remember once I got a DUI, which is not nearly what you went through. But you know, they make it go through a 14-week program and go to AA meetings, and like, you are entrapped into the criminal justice system, again at a very low level. But even at that level, I was like, whoa, this is awful.
The Riverside County civil grand jury uncovered 10 significant deficiencies in the Sheriff's Department's inmate screening process, leading to a violent felon being misclassified.
