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The influence of money on our system does interfere with administration of justice.

Eyewitness testimony is an example of problems with relying upon juries. Studies have shown that this testimony is the most unreliable because the human brain fills in memory impressions with beliefs without the person realizing it; yet studies have also shown eyewitness testimony is the most compelling to juries!

There do need to be other reasons to exempt someone from serving. I know a woman who was raped just prior to being chosen for jury duty. One of the effects of the crime influenced her to tell me she would promise to give the defendant a fair trial before convicting him! She was picked to be on the jury in a murder trial in Portland. I called the prosecuter and told him what she had said to me. She was then removed from the jury.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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What is FIJA?

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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There need to be many changes in the jury system. If the jury thinks at least one member has deficits in reasoning, the jury should be able to inform the judge of this.

Some juries refuse to find the defendant "guilty but insane" because they believe that if a person could plan a crime, he could not be insane. This is not in agreement with social science.

Judges should be on panels rather than on their own. especially in child custody cases.

Non-violent criminals should be held at home instead of in an institution, which would benefit society and would help the criminal learn to live among us and not offend, because most criminals do re-enter society but do not learn how to be law-abiding in prison.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Responding to John Foote's comment that defendents receive much protection, I counter that point that the jail system and the plea bargain system corrupt the administration of justice. I pled quilty because I was tortured in jail and on the way to jail; I pled guilty in order to get out of jail and to avoid the risk of more time. One way I was tortured in jail was through lack of sleep; the guards would talk loudly and laugh in front of my cell all night. Some ways I was tortured on the way to jail was by being held in a tiny cage not large enough to move my legs, being deprived of water and bathroom, having medicine withheld, and having no sleep due to having heavy metal music and prison movies blasted through a speaker next to my ear all night long. Many of these actions were illegal but there is no enforcement of the laws. Interstate transportation of the accused has benn contracted to a national private company in this country.

Regarding my defense, my court appointed attorney threw away the box containing my case files; he told me he wouldn't think of giving me any advice; he refused to submit the one document that would have instantly proved my innocence; he would not request a bail hearing, he wanted to go on vacation so I had three extra months in jail waiting to appear in court, etc.

One person in our jail was held 4 years without yet being charged.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Doctors need to stop pretending to be powerless. No country's population can pay for the huge offensive war capability that the U.S. has and at the same time take care of social needs. Doctors must unite and be proactive advocates of world unity agreements so that the world can agree to reduce armaments and sign peace treaties. They must lobby for legislation that makes rural health care reasonably attractive. We can subsidize 2 to 4 year stints and motivate medical schools to operate around the clock so that twice and many physicians can be trained. More funding should be requested for training nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah, advised that the countries must hold a world tribunal. Each country must choose a representative to attend. All countries must agree that if one country takes up arms against another, all the other countries must arise to stop that country. With this agreement, each country will need only as many armaments to keep peace within its borders.

The amount we spend on the war machine is mind boggling and underpublicized.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Living at home would most certainly prevent him from preying on children. There would be signs on all his doors saying his crime, cameras in his bedroom ( to which he would readily agree if it meant avoiding prison) and there would be an alert if anyone entered his apartment. No internet would be allowed. We are entirely capable of controlling people electronically to an extreme extent. However, molestation and rape are violent assaults upon persons, so I would be in favor of prison for this offense, followed by a lifetime of electronic monitoring, because pedophilia is known to be most resistant to change.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Another reason electronic bracelet system is not widely used is that the general public is full of vengeance, and politicians do not want to appear weak. The public themselves need to get real and realize prison does not make us safer, since most prisoners are released without any rehabilitation.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Why are so many non-violent offenders incarcerated when they could be imprisoned in their own apartments through the electronic bracelet system? The answer is greed. People are making too much money from selling goods to the correction system, and prison is a source of employment. People can be easily monitored at home. Anyone would choose to have a rice chip implanted under the skin so that their location can be pinpointed by satellite, rather than be incarcerated. Drug tests could be done as needed. This solution is so obvious it is disgusting. The cost savings would be astounding, and the prisoner would actually learn healthy living habits.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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It is not true that victims know when prisoners are paroled. As the Statesman Journal cited two days ago, a victim is not notified when a parole hearing is set unless the victim registers with the parole board to be notified. The catch is that victims are not told there is a registration system in place. This information came from a police detective who works in the system, who did not know about the registration system. This again shows the lack of responsibility of corrections administrators.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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There was an article in the Salem Statesman Journal a year ago about the astronomical cost of sanitary pads in the local jail. The article didn't say this, but these are used by women to put in the soles of the flat prison shoes as they walk on the hard cement floors. This is one tiny yet exorbitant example of the waste and abuse that occurs due to the obstinate and irresponsible attitude of administrators, who don't care about cost savings. In fact waste is encouraged because contractors for prison supplies give kickbacks from relatives or friends of administrators who make money from what is sold to the correction system. If people are allowed to wear their own shoes, the taxpayer saves millions. Shoes with no laces, which Goodwill throws away daily, can be given, which actually are cushioned enough to obviate the need to pad them. People who are scheduled to be sent to a correction facility can be allowed to bring their own shoes with no laces. Incidentally, when a prisoner is caught using a pad in this way, she is put into isolation for days at a time. This does absolutely nothing to curb the practice.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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One of the early comments by your guest shows the extreme lack of basic care for prisoners and also for the accused innocent, in that people who are mentally or physically ill are refused the medicine (eveen meds that they may have in their possession) for several days or longer. There is no reason for this other than intentional contempt for the incarcerated. We can verify information for those hospitalized and give them their appropriate medicine in a matter of minutes. A second horrendous brutality is the newer practice of tying people in chairs for hours at a time if it is thought that the person is suicidal. There is no reason for this in such an extremely controlled environment. Institutions brag that suicide is reduced, but I doubt that the person who has undergone this can live a normal life upon release. Alienation is caused, depression, post traumatic stress, and perhaps suicide can happen upon release. It is a barbaric practice and there are numerous alternatives that have already been identified by expensive studies, studies which have been ignored.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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When I visited Israel to see the international headquarters of the Baha'i Faith, my heart was warmed to see that Israel welcomes this world religion Whose founder, Baha'u'llah, was from Iran. This is a fine example of a country, Israel, choosing peaceful co-existance. The Baha'i Faith is a large religious minority in Iran. Baha'is are enjoined to obey the government of whatever country they reside. Because of this, and because Baha'is do not participate in partisan politics, Bahai's are a stabilizing influence in whatever country they reside. It is therefore in the interest of the United States to continue to take steps to protect the Baha'is in Iran. House Resolution 1008 condemns the most recent upsurge in persecution of the Baha'is. In March, the 9 members of the national administrative committee were rounded up in the middle of the night and imprisoned. Representative Darlene Hooley has not yet signed the resolution condemning this action. Please write to her to request that she sign this. Baha'is are not even allowed to attend higher education in Iran.

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Baha'is offer an explanation for some of negative comments about religious authority. Baha'u'llah taught that when a Prophet is sent to humanity, such as Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, there is a time of spiritual renewal. Believers gain a clearer understanding of God and how to obey Him. Society improves and great advances are made. Over time, the teachings of the prophet become polluted by the desires of men and religious leaders. So God sends another prophet to renew religion again. It is important to distinguish the teachings of the Prophets from the actions and opinions of the followers. Baha'u'llah said we no longer need priests or minisiters; for this teaching he was tortured and imprisioned. He taught religion and science are two parts of the same truth; he taught the women and men are equal--radical ideas in 1863! Religion encourages people to bring themselves to account for they will have to answer to God. This improves society.

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As a member of the Baha'i Faith, a Faith that actively seeks new members, and someone who has also lived in the midwest and the southeast, I find the Northwest one of most receptive populations in the country to the teachings of our founder, Baha'u'llah. Baha'is offer weekly devotional gatherings, children's classes, and classes for adults concerning how to live a spiritual and moral life. Baha'is see that people have a strong desire to find spiritual meaning in our lives. We see people report great comfort and satisfaction in these activities. We see the stronger sense of community improve the quality of individual's lives.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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I cannot find where to post comments during the show. Please explain on the air and on your website where on your site to do this.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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I called my legislator about a problem. She said she wanted to help, that others had called her about this issue as well, but she wasn?t allowed to introduce it this session. I think you do need to meet every year. The issue is most doctors have refused to take new patients who are on pain contracts for intractable pain, and find themselves in need of a new doctor. I suggested giving county health clinics a new mandate to follow patients on pain contracts, and exempting them from some of the caps that the board of medical examiners have imposed so that any one doctor doesn?t prescribe ?too many? narcotics.. Doctors claim there is to much paperwork imposed upon them to follow these patients, and too much pressure from the board of medical examiners and the DEA, pressures which came about as a result of wide-spread drug abuse. This ends up punishing people who require narcotics for legitimate medical reasons.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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I called my legislator about a problem. She said she wanted to help but she wasn?t allowed to introduce it this session. I think you do need to meet every year. The issue is that doctors most doctors have refused to take new patients who are on pain contracts for intractable pain, and find themselves in need of a new doctor. I suggested giving county health clinics a new mandate to follow patients on pain contracts. Doctors claim there is to much paperwork imposed upon them to follow these patients, and too much pressure from the board of medical examiners and the DEA, which came about as a result of wide-spread drug abuse. This ends up punishing people to require narcotics for legitimate medical reasons.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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