I suspect that most of the readers who tune in to this blog are familiar with Radley Balko, who writes for the Washington Post. He has been writing about justice system issues for a number of years, and has authored the books Rise of the Warrior Cop – The Militarization of America’s Police Forces and Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America.
He has just issued his 2015 predictions for civil liberties in the US. You might ask why civil liberties are being covered in the Wrongful Convictions Blog. But I submit – wrongful conviction and wrongful incarceration (and, most of all, wrongful execution) are the ultimate civil rights violations.
His predictions are sobering – SOBERING – at best. You can read them here: Horrifying Civil Liberties Predictions for 2015.
I encourage you to read all the way through to the end. But if you find yourself running short of time, you HAVE to skip to the last paragraph.
Wrongful Convictions Blog 
Reblogged this on Citizens, not serfs.
Mr. Locke, Great article! Your is spot-on! “You might ask why civil liberties are being covered in the Wrongful Convictions Blog. But I submit – wrongful conviction and wrongful incarceration (and wrongful execution) are the ultimate civil rights violations.”
correction: Your comment is spot on!
Phil,
Thanks for featuring this story in your post. You are correct, wrongful convictions and imprisonments are the ultimate violation of civil rights. This is certainly the direction we’ve turned to after a disappointing denial in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Where do people turn when the courts ignore the merits and base decisions on procedural defaults? The beginning – the Sixth Amendment, the interpretation of which has been watered down with case law over the course of time to the point where the basic rights are in name only.
I already read Radley’s article, which is certainly a stunning reminder of how extraordinary the situation is. Especially the opening, where a judge who says prosecutors should be honest is accsed of showing bias. The American people seem to be asleep at the wheel. Wake up!