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New York State has transitioned away from a previous program called IMPACT to the GIVE program – Gun Involved Violence Elimination. This program focuses on the 17 counties and 20 police jurisdictions serving those counties that account for 86 percent of the violent crime in the state, not counting New York City.

By now the news of the prison break of Richard Matt and David Sweat from the Clinton Correctional Facility is widely known.

Jails and prisons are the places where those found guilty by a court of law go to serve their assigned sentences. Unfortunately it is all too common for drugs and other banned items to be found and confiscated from inmates.

When it comes to driving it probably wouldn’t come as a surprise that drivers who are minors are more likely to be involved in accidents and are more prone to distractions and poor judgment than more experienced drivers. Mix that with alcohol served or allowed by an adult at a party or celebration and a dangerous combination is created.

In the United States the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are supposed to protect citizens from seizure of property by the government without due process of law.

Imagine walking down the street, shopping at the store, or being anywhere else that you regularly go when a crime happens. Imagine the shock you would feel if by chance you were mistakenly identified as involved or as the perpetrator by another bystander or by the police.

What is spending 26 years of your life imprisoned for something you didn’t do worth?

A case involving felony assault and manslaughter faces months of delays and almost ends in an innocent man’s arrest, all because of how the accused looks.

Do you have to be mentally stable in order to confess to a crime? It’s a question that is debated time and again in our criminal justice system. Can a person with mental illness give a credible confession, or do police easily manipulate them? In the case of Douglas Warney, it was the latter.

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson has only been on the job since January 2014, but in just over a year he has gained a national reputation for his aggressive review of wrongful conviction cases.