Search results for category: CourtsWhen Mollicone was convicted of embezzlement in 1993, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $12 million in restitution.
So it's heartening to hear that Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala D. Harris are putting these misdemeanors at the top of their agenda with a plan to establish a community justice center, based on Manhattan's Midtown Community Court. But before Newsom and Harris rush to set up a whole new court for these misdemeanors, they need to spend some time organizing the community courts we already have.
Is this restorative justice?
Traditional restorative justice views crime as a private violation between individuals, and
contends that the wounds of crime can best be healed through mediations focused on the private
stakeholders involved, rather than the state or the larger community. This private conception of
justice seems an uneasy fit for a state sponsored and administered proceeding like amnesty.
As peace talks on ending northern Uganda's 21 year civil war reach a critical stage, there is a growing debate inside the country and beyond about how best to achieve lasting peace and justice. Four different processes for justice and reconciliation are on the table, and at present it is not known which one will prevail - or whether an amalgam of all of them could be the blueprint for harmony.
This offender is a classic case of a justice system that’s inherently flawed. Despite a long rap sheet, he walked free from custody in 2004 from Windsor Court after a series of errors in the legal paper trail. He proved how powerless the courts are, too, stealing a car to make his way from Windsor to Halifax. It was the same vehicle that, two days later, slammed into McEvoy's, causing her death.
Law Minister, H.R. Bhardwaj has a plan to introduce Gram Nyayalayas i.e. the local village courts in order to cope with the increasing backlog of cases and to provide justice to villagers at a cheaper cost.
The commanders and fighters of the LRA who committed atrocities during the two decade insurgency in the north will be subjected to a hybrid justice system to atone for their crimes. The chief government negotiator, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, explained yesterday that the agreement on accountability and reconciliation signed last Friday at the Juba peace talks provided for a fusion of the formal and traditional justice systems. “The parties noted the strengths of the existing formal justice mechanism (which ensures no impunity) and the traditional cultural mechanisms (which are restorative and promote reconciliation),” Rugunda stated.
This case is one that cries out for a restorative encounter of some sort.
The Government will use community service to restore law and order in northern Uganda, internal affairs minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda said yesterday.
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