veterans treatment courts

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Special Court to Deal Effectively with Convicted Veterans

Veterans treatment courts offer a second chance to veterans like Joe, who return from combat with PTSD and trauma. This blog explains how these courts connect justice-involved veterans to treatment, accountability, and peer support—ultimately saving lives and reducing incarceration. The results are remarkable, and the need is urgent.
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right to counsel at arraignment

Oakland County Lawsuit Highlights Right to Counsel Crisis

Oakland County is suing Michigan over who should pay to uphold the right to counsel at arraignment. The lawsuit highlights a critical justice issue: without early legal representation, poor defendants face jail and high costs. The proposed standards could cut jail expenses—but local governments want the state to foot the bill.
  • Published in Law
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Airline passenger rights

Airline Passenger Rights: What Contracts Reveal About Customer Treatment

When my partners and I created the Justice Speakers Institute, the main goal was to work to improve justice throughout the world but, admittedly, I also wanted the opportunity to travel.  As a result, I purchase a lot of airline tickets flying from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a Delta hub. I have had my share of
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Why democracy matters

Why Democracy Matters: Lessons from Flint’s Water Crisis

The number of people claiming that the American governmental system is broken and that it is impossible to fix is growing. Anti-democratic rhetoric is now common. On Twitter, Facebook and other social media, people routinely claim that our founders created a republic, not a democracy, while others express support for rolling back democratic election reforms.
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Legal representation

The Cost of No Legal Representation: Why Access to Attorneys Matters

Jennifer Myers could not pay $91.99 a month in child support. So she was arrested and when brought to court, where without an attorney, she was put in jail for 30 days. According to the coroner she died died in the Macomb County (Michigan) jail from a sepsis infection. However, what she may have really
  • Published in Law
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Flint water crisis

Flint Water Crisis: Can an Island of Honesty Prevent Corruption?

The people of the City of Flint Michigan were poisoned. There is no evidence that this was intentional; rather Flint’s citizens were treated like numbers in an accountant’s ledger, where spending the least money was thought to be the best decision.  It was when members of the Snyder (Governor of Michigan) administration understood that their
  • Published in Law
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Drug Testing

The Nuts and Bolts of Drug Testing: Part 1

Part one of The Nuts and Bolts of Drug Testing explores why drug testing is essential in drug treatment courts. Learn how testing reduces recidivism, monitors abstinence, and serves as a treatment adjunct. Gain insight into different testing methods and their benefits to better understand their critical role in the justice system.
Hospital liability

Hospital Liability: Understanding Malpractice and Administrative Negligence

Hospital liability arises from two separate and distinct sources. The first comes from malpractice committed by medical staff and the second arises from the negligence of administrative staff.   The legal theories behind these two sources of litigation are different and can cause confusion for hospital administrators. While a hospital’s liability for the negligence of its
Procedural fairness

The Role of the Judge: Procedural Fairness and Drug-Treatment Courts

The factors that make up a successful Drug Treatment Court (DTC) are diverse, but the emerging research demonstrates, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the interaction between a judge and a participant is central to that success[1]. The bond between participant and judge is not solely dependent upon the judge’s personality but rather upon the nature
  • Published in Law
Sixth Amendment right to counsel

The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

As almost every American has learned from watching a myriad of police shows, a person charged with a crime has the right to an attorney and if that person cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for them.  Contrary to the television shows, the language about the right to an attorney contained in the
  • Published in Law