Category Archives: Criminal Justice & Punishment

Writing on policing, prisons, courts, sentencing, parole, wrongful conviction, incarceration, criminal law, punishment, and the institutions and policies of the criminal legal system.

ANOTHER CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Posted on February 5, 2016 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

SETTING:  CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS OF ANY LARGE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. ENTER: A TALL BLACK MAN, DRESSED IN ALL BLACK, INCLUDING A BLACK TRENCH COAT.  HE IS LEAVING, HAVING TENDED TO HIS DUTIES AT CORPORATE, AND IS HEADING TOWARD THE EXIT.  HE GIVES … Continue reading →

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In the Line of Duty

Posted on October 28, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The heroes are dead and nothing else matters Under a gray sky the women are dressed in black At the grave site hearing homilies paying homage to heroics Their sobs background music to pontificating politicians Under a gray sky the … Continue reading →

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Latter-Day Heroes and the Drug War

Posted on October 28, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There was a time when heroes Died on Holy Quests Nowadays they die For meaningless drug arrests Just fulfill the quota Undercover in the field “Buy and bust” the mission Awarded the Gold Shield Quasi-military honors If in battle die … Continue reading →

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Death of a Police Officer

Posted on October 27, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There’s this politically correct narrative happening right before our eyes around the killing of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder, that police lives matter more than Black lives, and other lives. Of course, this is just one more senseless killing in Gotham, … Continue reading →

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THERE ARE NO SECRETS IN THIS PLACE

Posted on January 24, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Officer Kirsch, or Officer K, as he was called, had once told Norman that there were no secrets in the maximum security prison. That was putting the matter nicely, Norman had thought. There were rats in every crevice in the … Continue reading →

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Letter from Charles Grodin to Supreme Court Justice Kennedy on the Felony Murder Rule

Posted on January 3, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Originally posted on Change the Felony Murder Rule in Florida:
February 16, 2010 Honorable Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Supreme Court of the United States One First Street Washington, DC N.E.  20543 Dear Honorable Associate Justice Kennedy, I was heartened…

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In the Line of Duty (From my book, “Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats”)

Posted on December 21, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The heroes are dead and nothing else matters Under a gray sky the women are dressed in black At the grave site hearing homilies paying homage to heroics Their sobs background music to pontificating politicians Under a gray sky the … Continue reading →

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VERY STRANGE FRUIT

Posted on December 16, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Have you ever really listened to the haunting lyrics of “Strange Fruit,” sung by Billie Holliday, who “had the kind of voice you never forget,” as Bret Primack wrote in Jazz Times?: Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the … Continue reading →

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PROSECUTORS, POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, THE CONSTITUTION, THE KKK, POSSES, AND THE RULE OF LAW

Posted on December 11, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I’ve been thinking about when state prosecutors fail to do their jobs in police-involved killings of unarmed individuals, that is, fail to get indictments – though we all know, those of us who have studied the criminal criminal justice system, … Continue reading →

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Charles Barkley Should Shut Up!

Posted on December 4, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Charles Barkley the NBA “great,” in response to the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson, Missouri, stated in a CNN interview that “this notion, that cops are out there just killing black men, is ridiculous.” Remember the “I am not a … Continue reading →

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