Christopher Zoukis, JD | March 26, 2022 | Prison Life
Prison Law Library | Jailhouse Lawyers
All Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities permits inmate access to law libraries. This page explains prison law libraries, inmate access to law libraries, and how jailhouse lawyers can help. Federal Prison Law Libraries The law library is typically located adjacent to, or inside, the Education Department. It typically consists of Trust Fund Limited Inmate Communication […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | March 7, 2022 | Legal Rights
CARES Act Home Confinement
Inmates in federal prison can also secure an early release from prison through CARES Act home confinement. The Act’s name is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. It was signed into law in March 2020. Essentially, the CARES Act allows select eligible inmates to be placed in home confinement during the federal COVID-19 state of […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | February 15, 2022 | Crime and Justice
Counterfeiting as a White-Collar Crime
When the FBI, lawyers, and news organizations refer to white-collar crimes, they are talking about crimes committed by businesses and organizations that violate public trust. White-collar refers to the respected jobs where employees once dressed in managerial garbs, such as white shirts with ties. If you are accused of committing a white-collar crime, you are suspected […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | December 27, 2018 | News
State v. Bassett: Washington’s Historic Ban on Juvenile Life Without Parole
On October 18, 2018, the Washington Supreme Court fundamentally transformed juvenile justice through State v. Bassett, categorically declaring juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) unconstitutional under the state constitution. This landmark decision didn’t merely limit these sentences—it eliminated them entirely, establishing Washington as the national leader in protecting youth offenders from irredeemable punishment. For families navigating the […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | December 20, 2018 | Advocacy and Reform
Understanding the School to Prison Pipeline: Statistics, Facts, and Evidence-Based Solutions
The school to prison pipeline represents a disturbing national trend where children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems through harsh disciplinary policies and increased police presence in schools. Drawing from federal data, Department of Justice reports, academic research, and civil rights analyses, this comprehensive examination reveals how […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | August 27, 2018 | Crime and Justice
Secondary DNA Transfer
In 1930, the French scientist Edmond Locard published a journal article in which he laid the groundwork for what would become the field of forensic science. Locard said a criminal actor will always leave traces of his or her presence at a crime scene and will always leave traces of the scene on his or […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | August 10, 2018 | Prison Life
Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails
During a heatwave in the summer of 2017, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Medium Security Institution in St. Louis, Missouri. They chanted “Shut it down,” after a video showing prisoners at the jail begging for relief from soaring temperatures went viral. But in Texas and elsewhere, prisoners have taken their complaints of extreme – […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | February 23, 2018 | Criminal Legal News
Cop Who Firebombed Supervisor’s House Gets 20 Years
A rogue police officer from the Edison, New Jersey’s police department has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following his guilty plea to a string of violent offenses, including the firebombing of his boss’s house. Michael Dotro was an Edison cop for 10 years before his arrest and conviction. During that time, according to the Middlesex […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | February 8, 2018 | Prison Life
Larry Nassar: What Will His Life Be Like in Federal Prison?
Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team physician, is now serving an extended sentence in federal prison for criminal sexual conduct, child pornography, and sexual abuse charges. As part of his plea agreement, Lawrence Gerard Nassar will face a lifetime behind bars, locked away in a high-security federal prison. Here we delve into the details […]
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Christopher Zoukis, JD | December 24, 2017 | Educational Programs
Prison Education in America: The History and the Promise
Concerned citizens began the first American prison system in Pennsylvania in 1787, and a clergyman, William Rogers, was the first educator. Since then, there has been an ongoing national debate concerning what we should do with wrongdoers, including whether the criminal justice system should focus solely on punishment, rehabilitation, or a measure of both. One […]
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