by: Regan Woodbury On June 30th, 2015 Miami-Dade commissioners voted “to let police treat marijuana possession the same way they do littering and loitering—by issuing a citation with a $100 fine that keeps the offense out of the criminal justice system.”[1] The measure passed by a 10-3 margin and allows for this arrest-alternative in possession […]
BY: MARLON BAQUEDANO The American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section has catalogued more than 38,000 statutes nationwide that impose collateral consequences on people convicted of crimes; these statutes create barriers to jobs, housing, welfare benefits, and voting.[1] The majority of these statutes (80%) work as denial of employment opportunities.[2] This means that statutes that make […]
BY BERTILA L. FERNANDEZ – Constantly called upon to meet the needs of the citizens of Miami-Dade County, the 11th Judicial Circuit has quickly outgrown the usefulness of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse. The centerpiece of downtown Miami, the Courthouse was built in 1925[1] and meant for a population of 100,000[2]. Today the population has grown […]
