By now, even those most unaware of what’s going on in the world know about Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein was a powerful Hollywood producer of Oscar-nominated films such as “Shakespeare in Love.” He has been fired from the company he co-founded with his brother, The Weinstein Company, after more than 40 allegations of sexual harassment and assault have become public.
What do you do when you are innocent, but convicted and sentenced for a crime you didn’t commit?
What happens when you have trouble following rules in prison because – for a good reason – you don’t believe you should be treated this way?
And, what happens when your case comes up for parole?
You can’t say to the parole board what they want to hear. That you have learned your lesson, you are a different person, and you are sorry for your crime.
If that crime was murder, but you didn’t do it, no parole board in the country is going to recommend you. After all, you can’t be sorry for something you didn’t do.
For once, there’s a story in the news of a positive ending for someone accused of criminal conduct.
Dr. Joseph Oesterling is a Saginaw-area urologist and was previously Chief of Urology at the University of Michigan Hospital. He trained at Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic.
Oesterling was charged and went to trial for 7 counts of criminal conduct. This included 5 counts of delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance, 1 count of maintaining a drug house, and 1 count of continuing a criminal enterprise.
His charges literally accused him of being a drug lord.
Who Raids Police Homes?
The answer is, of course, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Did you know the ATF existed? If you have seen the film, The Untouchables, you will know how the ATF worked during prohibition. You know that period in American history where alcohol was illegal giving rise to such luminaries as Al Capone.
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If you have been following the news related to medical marijuana in Michigan, and especially dispensaries, you know that most medical marijuana is operating in a legal grey area.
It has been tricky for lawmakers, medical dispensaries, and even those administering medical marijuana to know which practices are legal and which could land them in jail or get them a fine.
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Matthew John Andaluz, 44, of Battle Creek was sent to prison in September 2017 to serve a 30-year term, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
His crime?
Andaluz created a series of child pornography which he shared on the internet. This, eventually, was what cost him most of the rest of his life.
By now, most people who have been through a divorce understand the divorce laws in our country. However, what you might now know is how the most prevalent type of divorce laws here – the “No Fault Divorce” – may not adequately address issues of domestic violence in marriage.
Because Michigan has only no fault divorce laws, it’s important to see the distinction and then talk about how else one might address domestic abuse within marriage.
Recently, I came across an article about addiction that piqued my curiosity.
I wanted to take a closer look in light of the current presidential administration is possibly re-starting the war on drugs. That war put so many behind bars in the 90s and did nothing to eradicate America’s drug problem.
In fact, opioid addictions have gotten so bad, they are the main reason behind so many drug overdose deaths. According to the CDC, overdose deaths rose to over 33,000 in 2015. That is four times the number of overdose deaths that occurred in 1999.
Do we have drug addition all wrong?
In the summer of 2017, the former Detroit drug dealer nicknamed “White Boy Rick” was granted parole from prison. It took nearly 30 years, but the 10-member Michigan Parole Board voted unanimously to release him.
Richard Wershe was arrested at the age of 17 during the 1980s crack epidemic.
This timeline, published on The Oakland Press website, gives a nice overview of where the State of Michigan has been so far in terms of Marijuana legalization.
