Due to our very long lead time (I write this on March 7th) it's difficult to report on fast moving stories like the goings on in the state house. As you read this, who knows what may have happened since this story was written. But that said, here is "the ...
By Dan Pens
There is a well fed political interest group feasting at the California public trough, and most taxpayers are unaware of the huge growth in this creatures appetite and political clout. It has grown from a political runt to one of the biggest hogs in the barnyard in ...
This is the best part about being an editor. Every other month I get to sit down and write whatever comes to mind. And I know itll be read by over a thousand people. Hey! Wait a second... whatta ya flipping that page for? Oh well, at least I candream ...
by Dan Pens
Keeping these twenty pages filled and mailed out to 1,200 readers is no small task. Each month I mail out about 50 letters, 75 post cards and a dozen or so invoices to PLN subscribers. I generate most of the "routine" correspondence. Paul answers most of the ...
A provision of the $30.2 federal anti-crime bill was the elimination of prisoners from eligibility for federal Pell Grants. Much attention was given to this portion of the debate by the mainstream media. Senators and Congressional Representatives know a good sound bite when they see one. Junk-food journalism shows like ...
The feature attraction in this summer's media/political crime-hype circus in Virginia was the coverage of "Proposal X," Republican Gov. George Allen's repressive new sentencing bill. The bill, signed into law by Allen on October 17th, 1994, calls for tougher sentencing, the abolition of parole, and the construction of 22 - ...
In one week this September, six separate capital murder cases were being tried in Harris County, Texas, of which Houston is the main city. Some legal observers consider this to be a national record.
"They may have done this in the Old West, but there's been nothing like this in ...
From the Editor
by Dan Pens
Greetings to PLN readers from the new co-editor. I have worked with Ed and Paul since nearly the very beginning, helping to type articles, writing, editing, and proof reading (an odious chore). I originally came on board when the mailing list grew to over ...
PLN rarely reports on criminal law cases, but when we think one will interest our readers we print it. Such is the case with an interesting legal struggle going on in Michigan. PLN reader Emmett Jones (see his article on page 1, The Unconstitutionality of Discriminatory Jury Selection) initiated a ...
Ask The Media if Crime Pays, Then Who's Footing the Bill?
By Dan Pens
A recent survey by the Center for Media and Public Affairs shows that the three major networks aired more than twice as many crime stories last year as in 1992--even though the crime rate remained virtually ...
