Free Republic

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that states can effectively eliminate the insanity defense for criminal defendants who suffer from mental illness. The 6-3 ruling holds that a Kansas law preventing the exoneration of defendants who claim a diminished mental state is not unconstitutional. In an unusual alignment for the bench, Justice Elena Kagan, considered among the more liberal justices, wrote the majority opinion and was joined by her five conservative colleagues. Three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — dissented. "Defining the precise relationship between criminal culpability and mental illness involves examining the workings...

Pushed to the breaking point by the closure of restaurants, movies, beaches and other favorite sources of amusement, some teens are coughing on grocery store produce. One incident occurred in the Washington DC exurb of Purcellville, Virginia. Police investigating the case said that "there is a national trend by teenagers to cough on food, video it and post the video on the web." Malcolm Tendt, admitted "camera man" in the Virginia prank, defended his peers, asking "what are we supposed to do for fun? None of the guys doing the coughing are really sick. The geezers who see us in...

San Francisco used to be a beautiful place to visit or even live. Democrats have run the state into a shit hole status! Fentanyl and Heroin abuse, the numbers are frightening, but let’s worry about illegal immigrants. While our mainstream media is focused on how President Trump is handling the “China” virus, Pelosi’s San Francisco is going down. The streets of San Francisco look like a scene from a zombie movie. People around the city are looting the stores amid the Coronavirus threat. Video below: https://twitter.com/Pismo_B/status/1240779254998028288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240779254998028288&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rightjournalism.com%2Fanarchy-in-pelosis-san-francisco-people-are-looting-the-stores-all-over-the-city%2F In San Francisco, this isn’t anything new but with all this hysteria around the...

Charges against a 20-year-old man who was accused of a hate crime in connection with the beating of an elderly Asian victim were withdrawn as part of a “restorative justice” effort by prosecutors in the case. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin made the decision on March 2 in the case against Dwayne Grayson, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Boudin, who was described in a Jacobin profile last year as a “socialist and the child of revolutionaries,” campaigned heavily on a progressive vision of criminal justice reform during the district attorney race. Grayson was initially charged with robbery, elder abuse,...

With the American population fighting over a single precious roll of toilet paper amid the coronavirus outbreak, police in North Carolina uncovered nearly 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products inside a stolen tractor-trailer on Wednesday. Police said they aren't releasing the name of the driver because the topic of toilet paper is “fairly sensitive right now.” "After further investigation, it was determined the 53-foot Hyundai dry-van trailer was reported stolen locally and was being utilized to transport nearly 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products," the Guilford County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

WHITSETT, N.C. — The Guilford County Sheriff’s office said they found nearly 18,000 pounds of commercial bathroom paper products in a stolen 53-foot Hyundai dry-van trailer on Wednesday. Sheriff Danny Rodgers said their Specialized Enforcement Unit initiated an investigation on the driver of a tractor-trailer who was traveling on Interstate 40 in Whitsett, North Carolina. Rodgers said the driver was in violation of NC Motor Vehicle law, so deputies followed the vehicle to a warehouse/dock facility a short distance off the interstate. Deputies encountered the driver and determined the tractor-trailer was stolen from a local facility and was being used...

A gang of thugs smashed a Sainsbury's shop front in south London in a nighttime raid as supermarkets come under huge pressure amid coronavirus fears. Six men tried stealing alcohol from the New Kent Road store in Elephant and Castle at around 10.50pm yesterday by 'concealing spirits in their clothes'. Police said that Sainsbury's staff confronted the men, who became 'hostile and threatening' and fled outside before trashing the store front. Video shows thugs throwing a blue sign at the glass entry, which shatters. A larger group then runs away, leaving a trail of carnage behind them.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) release prisoners who are vulnerable to coronavirus to prevent an outbreak in federal prisons. The letter, addressed to Attorney General Bill Barr and BOP Director Michael Carvajal called on the agencies to “take immediate action to safeguard” the prisoners, specifically those who are elderly or have chronic health conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated these demographics as most susceptible to serious illness or death. The union requested the officials “increase the use of compassionate release” to...

“Gray Death” is a particularly dangerous mixture of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and other synthetic opioids, and it has made its way to Indiana. Carfentanil, which is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. They say a persistent increase in opioid overdoses tied to carfentanil have been seen around the country. Carfentanil and other fentanyl-related compounds can be absorbed through the skin or accidentally inhaled, making them dangerous to first responders and other medical personnel....

How’s Grandpa Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing looking now, I mean in a world where the Democrat-led Philadelphia publicly announced there will be no jail time for burglary, car theft, vandalism… Where non-violent crimes, like someone robbing your home, will be met with a bench warrant instead of the hoosegow? Since no one’s going to prison for non-violent crime, I have a question… Is looting a violent crime? Isn’t looting merely property damage + burglary? ‘Scuse me. I may have to take a couple of days off for a trip to Philly so I can upgrade my stereo system. Meanwhile, in other...

In Philadelphia, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has set forth new guidelines to stop police officers from arresting people accused of a host of nonviolent misdemeanor crimes. Instead, they’ll briefly detain the suspect to confirm the identity and fill out arrest warrant paperwork, then release the suspect. The arrest warrant will be served at a later time when the coronavirus risk has faded. The list of crimes that will no longer lead to people being processed into jail includes prostitution and all narcotics crimes. https://twitter.com/GregArgosCBS3/status/1240014588302761986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240014588302761986&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rightjournalism.com%2Fallegedly-leaked-memo-shows-that-the-police-will-release-looters-and-will-delay-the-arrests-for-property-theft-drug-crimes-and-prostitution-during-covid-outbreak%2F In a recently surfaced documents that are detailing the city’s policies for its state of emergency...

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby ordered her staff Wednesday to drop all pending criminal charges against anyone arrested for drug possession, attempted distribution, prostitution, trespassing, minor traffic offenses, open container, and urinating in public. Mosby said she is taking the action in an effort to reduce the threat of a coronavirus outbreak behind bars. These crimes pose no risk to public safety and the defendants would be released before trial in normal conditions, she wrote in a memo to prosecutors. “An outbreak in prison or jails could potentially be catastrophic,” she wrote them. “Now is not the time for a...

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has instructed the department to begin delaying arrests for a slew of low-level criminal offenses — including all narcotics activity. The unprecedented move comes as the city takes emergency measures to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus through the region. An internal memo obtained by Billy Penn and WHYY states that crimes including theft, burglary, prostitution, stolen automobiles, vandalism, and certain economic crimes will no longer automatically result in detention. Police will also temporarily stop enforcing bench warrants to individuals who fail to show up for court.

... Just last June, Philadelphia magazine published a blistering condemnation of what it referred to as Krasner’s failed “social experiment.” In a piece titled "The disastrous consequences of DA Larry Krasner’s ‘reforms,’" James D. Schultz assiduously chronicled Krasner’s favored liberal policies and the disastrous effects they were wreaking on public safety in Philadelphia. Schultz points out how gun-related crimes in Krasner’s district spiked and the city’s police force became demoralized by the attorney’s catch-and-release tactics. Krasner’s preferred method for gun arrests is a foolhardy and dangerous court diversionary program known as Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. Even first-year criminal justice undergraduates comprehend...

Fort Worth police will stop arresting people for low-level crimes if a ticket can be issued instead. The department made the decision in an attempt to shield their officers from getting infected with or spreading the COVID-19 virus. Officers will not be able to make Class C misdemeanor arrests without getting approval from a watch commander, according to a source within the police department. Class C misdemeanors are the lowest level of crime and include offenses such as theft under $100 and vandalism. People will also be encouraged to make reports online or over the phone, if possible. (snip) These...

Low-level offenses that don’t jeopardize public safety will not be prosecuted in Brooklyn amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Tuesday. The measure is part of an effort for his office to implement social distancing practices in order to limit potential exposure to the virus for employees and visitors, Gonzales said. “During this public health emergency, it is imperative that we also protect those who might be exposed to the coronavirus during the procedures of arrest, processing and detention in Central Booking,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter. SNIP

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New data shows there’s been a decrease in violent crimes throughout the city of Memphis recently. It’s not directly linked to fears of the coronavirus, but there may be some correlation. FOX13’s Tony Sloan found out more details on these numbers. The possibility is that the city could cut half the number of violent crimes that have happened since late last month compared to the month before. ... According to city data, in the two weeks since Feb. 28, there have been 243 violent crimes like assault, homicide, and robbery with still two weeks left to fully...

We’re beginning to see what was really going on with all those closed-down WalMarts. Corona Virus is just an excuse; we went through this same hysteria with the Swine Flu epidemic of 1976 and again with the TEOTWAWKI of Y2K. And Avian Flu, and SARS and a dozen other crises. Yes, follow commonsense practices for hygiene, take care of yourself. Seek medical help if necessary. Do NOT surrender to fear. Fear is our biggest enemy. Videos that surfaced in the last few days show us how our mainstream media managed to convince Americans to fight each other for toilet papers....

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday the results from a massive federal operation targeting the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which is one of the most notorious drug cartels in Mexico. The Justice Department (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) revealed that over 600 arrests had been made as a result of Project Python, which started late last year. “Project Python marks the most comprehensive action to date in the Department of Justice’s campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately destroy CJNG,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Criminal Division said during a press conference. “When President...