Tag Page CriminalJustice

Man accused of robbing victim while wearing ankle monitor for gun case will serve no prison time: records A Cook County judge approved a plea deal allowing a man accused of a violent road-rage robbery to avoid prison time, even though prosecutors said the crime happened while he was on an ankle monitor for a gun case. Robert Bray, 35, of Evergreen Park, had been released in September 2023 on electronic monitoring after posting a $500 deposit for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Prosecutors said that on January 2, 2024, Bray was involved in a minor traffic crash on East 47th Street while still wearing the monitor. They allege he aggressively confronted a 29-year-old driver, threatened him, grabbed his phone, and ordered his passenger to steal the victim’s Jeep Grand Cherokee. Bray allegedly shoved the victim against a wall and choked him as the SUV was driven away. Police identified Bray using surveillance footage, license plate data, ankle monitor records, and a photo lineup. He later pleaded guilty to robbery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Although sentenced to six and three years concurrently, credit for time served, electronic monitoring, and sentence reductions led to his release the same day he entered custody. #Chicago #CookCounty #CrimeNews #CourtRecords #PublicSafety #CriminalJustice #CWBChicago #ChaunceyDatGuy

Christmas in jail: PB&J for dinner

Luigi Mangione, awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center, is set to spend Christmas behind bars with a menu that’s far from festive. While lunch offers a choice between Cornish hen or barbecue tofu, dinner is simply two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips. It’s a stark reminder of how different the holidays look for those in custody—even in high-profile cases like Mangione’s, connected to the killing of Brian Thompson. What do you think about the way holiday meals are handled in jail? Should there be more effort to make them special, or is this just part of the consequences? #Food #NYC #CriminalJustice

What Authorities Found During a Welfare Check in an Arkansas Home Left Even Investigators Shaken A welfare check at an Arkansas home uncovered conditions that officials say no child—or animal—should ever be forced to endure. Authorities went to the residence to check on the well-being of a young girl. When they entered the home, they found it in severe disrepair. Fleas were present throughout the house, along with trash and waste covering the floors. Officials also reported a strong chemical odor filling the space. Inside one room, the girl was found lying on a dirty mattress that was covered in fleas. During the visit, she told officials she could not remember the last time she had eaten. The child’s guardian at the time was identified as the homeowner’s girlfriend, Samantha Lyn Platz. She was later taken into custody and is now facing charges related to the care of both the child and multiple animals. Her case remains ongoing. As the investigation continued, the situation inside the home became even more disturbing. The child told officials that kittens were being kept inside a freezer. This information led to the discovery of two deep freezers located inside the home. Inside, authorities found the remains of 24 cats and kittens. Officials noted that some of the animals appeared extremely thin, while others showed signs they may have suffered prior to their deaths. More than ten additional cats were still living inside the home under unhealthy conditions. Those animals were removed, and animal welfare officials were notified. The child has since been placed safely with her adult sister, where officials say she is now receiving proper care. Cases like this raise difficult questions about how such conditions go unnoticed—and how communities can better protect the most vulnerable. What do you think could prevent situations like this from happening again? #ChildWelfare #AnimalWelfare #PublicSafety #Arkansas #CriminalJustice

In the early 1970s, the United States launched the “war on drugs,” framing it as a public safety and health response to rising drug use. Over time, historical records and later admissions from Nixon administration officials revealed the policy was also deeply political. It was not only about drugs, but about power, control, and targeting groups seen as threats. Former Nixon advisor John Ehrlichman later stated that the administration linked anti-war activists with marijuana and Black communities with heroin. By heavily criminalizing both substances, the government could disrupt those groups through arrests, surveillance, and incarceration. This admission, now widely cited in academic discussions, reframed the war on drugs as a deliberate political strategy rather than an unintended failure. The consequences were long-lasting. Drug laws grew harsher, sentencing disparities widened, and enforcement focused heavily on urban neighborhoods. Research consistently shows drug use rates are similar across racial groups, yet arrest and incarceration rates are not. This imbalance reshaped communities, families, and economic opportunities for generations. Recognizing this history does not deny the real harm caused by addiction or the need for public health solutions. It highlights that policy choices mattered. Decisions about enforcement and punishment were shaped by political priorities as much as public well-being. Understanding the origins of the war on drugs helps explain its uneven impact and why calls for reform continue today. #History #WarOnDrugs #CriminalJustice #AmericanHistory #MassIncarceration #Policy

An Iowa WHITE #CriminalJustice #man who strangled his ex-girlfriend until she passed out and then executed her parents in a chilling ambush will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a judge ruled Friday. Luke R. Devening, 26, of Pleasant Hill, was sentenced to three consecutive life terms without parole for the March 2024 murders of Dennis Mahon, 65, and Christine Mahon, 63, and the attempted murder of his former girlfriend, identified as A.M. in documents. The brutal attack unfolded on the night of March 11, 2024, when Devening forced his way into the Mahons’ rural home near Runnells. Armed with a 9mm, he first choked A.M. unconscious in an upstairs bedroom, then waited for her parents to return from a dinner outing. When Dennis and Christine Mahon walked through the door, Devening shot each of them multiple times at point-blank range in front of their semiconscious daughter, prosecutors said. He fled the scene but was arrested hours later after a statewide manhunt. A.M. survived and testified against Devening during his October trial, recounting how he had stalked and threatened her in the weeks leading up to the murders. “He told me that night, ‘If I can’t have you, no one will,’” she told the court through tears. “Then he killed my parents right in front of me.” Jurors took less than two hours to convict Devening on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. At Friday’s sentencing, Dennis Mahon’s brother, Michael, addressed the court: “Luke Devening didn’t just kill two people that night — he destroyed an entire family. There is no punishment severe enough.” Devening is expected to be transferred to the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison in the coming weeks. His conviction is automatically appealed under Iowa law, but legal experts say the mandatory life sentences are virtually certain to be upheld.

The Counselor Who Helped Me Didn’t Survive His Own Addiction When I first got out of prison, I was wrecked. I had a serious addiction and zero coping skills. Then, a month out, my father died. I was still in a federal halfway house — technically still in custody — and I handled it the worst way possible. I went and bought weed to numb everything. In the federal system, weed = heroin. A dirty is a dirty. They sent me back for 102 days. When I got out again, they made me go to treatment at Bay Area Addiction and Recovery. I wasn’t trying to “get clean.” I was just trying to stay out of trouble. Then I met my peer support counselor, Jason Albertson. Jason didn’t talk down to you. He wasn’t fake. He was an ex-heroin addict who actually understood the life. I felt comfortable with him in minutes. After the feds switched my insurance and forced me to a different clinic, he and I still texted. Then I moved back to Sacramento, relapsed, caught new violations, and went right back to custody. That’s addiction — one slip and everything falls apart. Tonight, scrolling the news, I saw a name I recognized. Jason overdosed. He died on October 28th — three weeks after I got out. It crushed me. I even called BAART to see if he still worked there, but nobody there even knew him. That’s how addiction takes people: quietly, without headlines, without the world noticing. Jason helped people every day. He helped me at a time when I didn’t even think I needed help. He was real, honest, and fighting a battle he eventually lost. Addiction is brutal. One mistake can end everything. And fentanyl doesn’t give second chances. If you’re struggling — whether you’re in recovery, slipping, or still using — ask for help. Someone will pick up the phone. Someone will care. Don’t let this stuff take you the way it took him. I wish Jason had one more chance. I wish he were still here. #ReentryStruggles #AddictionRecovery #HalfwayHouse #SecondChances #RelapseRecovery #CriminalJustice

“Fifteen Years Stolen: A Texas Mother’s Fight to Expose a System That Never Saw the Truth” _____ By Tracy Ann McCurry — Ink & Evidence Magazine In the heart of West Texas — a region that prides itself on justice, integrity, and strong family values — a devastating failure unfolded. It is a story not of crime, but of corruption; not of guilt, but of manufactured narratives; not of justice, but of a system so broken that the truth never stood a chance. I know this story well. I lived it. For fifteen years, I sat in a prison cell for a crime I did not commit. My conviction was crafted from false reporting, racial bias, withheld evidence, and a court-appointed attorney whose loyalty was never mine to begin with. He had represented my older brother — the original informant in my case — and never disclosed that conflict. In Midland, Texas, where relationships and reputations shape outcomes far more deeply than the law itself, that conflict became a death blow to my defense. I was never given a fair trial. My attorney fell asleep during proceedings. Key witnesses were removed or silenced. Evidence sat hidden for nearly two decades. And my child — the only person who truly knew what happened — was denied the opportunity to speak. His voice could have changed everything. But no one ever heard him. I continue sharing The truth, because it was withheld from my all female jury. #WhatHappenedToJustice #JusticeSystem #CriminalJustice #BelieveTheVictim #JusticeForSurvivors