Tag Archives: RSJLR

Dark Pleas and Faulty Forensics: The Role of Flawed DNA Evidence in Coerced Guilty Pleas

By: Sydney Perkins             Post-conviction proceedings reveal a striking asymmetry. While the introduction of scientifically invalid forensic evidence can easily secure a conviction, newly discovered evidence undermining that conviction rarely guarantees relief. Such evidence, rather than securing immediate exoneration, frequently becomes the basis for coercive prosecutorial bargaining.             Consider the following scenario: after spending nearly […]

Lord of the Banned: Florida’s First Amendment Challenge

By: Kimberly Castillo Slaughterhouse Five, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Kite Runner, Looking for Alaska, and The Color Purple have been among the titles removed from Florida public school libraries’ shelves.[1] In just one school year, book removals nearly doubled from around 300 titles in 2022-2023 to over 700 titles in 2023-2024.[2] […]

SNAP “Junk” Food Restrictions: Promoting Health or Restricting Freedom of Choice?

By Gabriela Alvarez Background SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps until 2008, is a federally funded government program authorized under the “Farm Bill.” It provides assistance to low-income individuals for purchasing food.[1] States administer this program, and recipients generally must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty line, which, in most states, ranges […]

The Operant Conditioning of Prosecutors: How a Lack of Accountability Breeds Corruption

By Angel Richardson As children, we learned that if we behaved or performed well, our behavior would be followed by a reward or positive feedback. Whereas, if we behaved in a negative manner or did something bad, we were met with punishment as a consequence. Behavioral psychologist, B.F. Skinner, codified this theory into what is […]