Michael M. O’Hear – Page 12 – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Deadly Force in Philly (and Milwaukee)

Post author:Michael M. O'Hear
Post published:April 4, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Milwaukee Public

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a voluminous report on uses of deadly force by the Philadelphia Police Department. In recent years, there has been a drop in both violent crime and assaults on police officers in the City of Brotherly Love, but officer-involved shootings (OISs) have remained stubbornly high. Amidst media coverage of rising OIS numbers in 2013, the Police Department requested assistance from the DOJ in order to assess the problem.

The new report, authored by George Fachner and Steven Carter, finds there were 394 OISs in Philadelphia between 2007 and 2014, for an average of 49 per year. The suspects were unarmed in 15% of the cases. Fachner and Carter provide a wealth of data regarding the 394 OISs and dozens of recommendations for the Department.

One recommendation is that the “PPD should publish a detailed report on use of force, including deadly force, on an annual basis. The report should be released to the public.”

I’m pleased to say that we are already doing such annual reports here in Milwaukee. How do the numbers compare?

Decline in Wisconsin Prison Population Results From Fewer Drug Offenders Behind Bars

Post author:Michael M. O'Hear
Post published:March 17, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Public Wisconsin Criminal Law & Process

As I discussed in this post, Wisconsin has achieved one of the nation’s higher rates of reduction in imprisonment over the past decade. To be sure, New York, California, and a few other states have far outpaced Wisconsin in this regard, and Wisconsin’s prison population remains nearly ten times larger than it was in the early 1970s. Still, we may appreciate some overall net progress in the Badger State’s numbers since the mid-2000s. As indicated in the chart after the jump, reduced imprisonment of drug offenders has played a central role in driving this trend.

MULS Conference to Consider Human Trafficking and Restorative Justice

Post author:Michael M. O'Hear
Post published:March 16, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Human Rights Immigration Law International Law & Diplomacy Labor & Employment Law Marquette Law School Milwaukee Poverty & Law Public

On Thursday and Friday, Marquette Law School will host an important conference, “Restorative Justice and Human Trafficking — From Wisconsin to the World.” As the title suggests, human trafficking — for sex or labor — is a both a global human rights problem and a significant issue locally. Hundreds of cases have been reported in Wisconsin, mostly in the Milwaukee area. The conference is designed to raise awareness about trafficking and to help concerned citizens get involved in efforts to address the problem.

The Conference kicks off at 4:30 on Thursday with a keynote address by Martina Vandenberg (pictured above), who leads the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center in Washington, D.C. Vandenberg has worked on cases involving trafficking and other humans rights violations around the world.

On Friday, the Conference will continue with a full schedule of speakers and panels. A panel of victim-survivors will share their experiences. Local leaders and activists will discuss the impact of trafficking and current efforts to help victims. Other speakers will cover the existing legal framework, potential legal reforms, and the international context of trafficking.

The Conference is sold out, but there will be a live feed that can be viewed by clicking on the “Watch Now” tabs in the pages linked to above.