Can Judicial Compassion Be Unethical?  Justice Speaks Podcast Veterans’ Treatment Courts Two months ago something happened that has been bothering me ever since. A judge in North Carolina sentenced a man to 24 hours in jail then joined him in the cell for the night. District Court Judge Lou Olivera is a veteran of the

Drug Court: The Criminal Justice System Rolls the Rock, Part 1 – Justice Speaks Podcast In this episode of Justice Speaks, JSI Founder Judge Brian MacKenzie (Ret) speaks with Judge Michael Haley (Ret.), about his upcoming article to be published in the Loyola Journal of Public Interest Law, entitled “Drug Court: The Criminal Justice System

Alcohol Monitoring: A Vital Part of Probation – Justice Speaks Podcast Crime and Substance Abuse are Linked The link between substance abuse and crime is clear. About 90% of criminal cases have involvement of alcohol or other drugs. Because of this link, it is not unusual for abstinence to be a requirement for release on

Distracted Driving and Cell Phones:  Hands-Free is Not Risk- Free – Justice Speaks Podcast April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This is a time to raise awareness of the dangers and cost of this growing epidemic.  In 2014, distracted driving in the United States alone resulted in at least: 3,179 fatalities 431,000 injuries (18% of

Parents: Set the Rules With Your Teen Driver – Justice Speaks Podcast Learning to drive is very exciting for teens, and a driver’s license is a giant step toward independence. But when a teen driver is getting ready to hit the road, a parent’s job isn’t done. In fact, talking to your kids about the

Alcoholics Anonymous and the First Amendment – Justice Speaks Podcast Are you involved with the criminal justice system?  Do you expect defendants to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA)?  Then this podcast is for you. Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous as Conditions It is not uncommon for judges, probation officers or treatment providers to order

Judges: A Critical Component of Drug Court – Justice Speaks Podcast The intuitive understanding of the central role of the judge, which had been embraced by many of the original Drug Treatment Court (DTC) judges in creating and operating their courts, has been supported by significant new research. DTCs have been the subject of more

What Will You Contribute Today? 9 Tips for Your Road Safety – Justice Speaks Podcast Earlier this year, I attended a traffic safety conference and one of the speakers asked a very simple question of everyone there: “What will you do TODAY to contribute to making where you live and work safer?” As we look

Therapy Dogs:  Are the Courts Going to the Dogs? Justice Speaks Podcast In recent years a new kind of dog has begun to appear in courtrooms.  These dogs are used as therapeutic support in two basic circumstances, first, for emotionally vulnerable witnesses and second, for individuals who are participating in a Veteran’s Treatment Court. Going

Human Trafficking: An Unseen Scourge – Justice Speaks Podcast In this episode, Justice Speakers Institute (JSI) Founder David Wallace speaks with Kimberly Overton Spahos about Human Trafficking. Ms. Overton is currently the Chief Resource Prosecutor at the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. Her job requires her to train and educate and speak about issues involving