Weekly News Update: Week of October 12th

October 19, 2009 |
Valor

End of Session Legislative Wrap-Up
October 11th marked the last day for Governor Schwarzenegger to sign or veto legislation that had made its way to his desk. After a long session fraught with protracted battles over the budget deficit, water and other divisive issues, many associations and institutions are counting themselves among the lucky few to have survived the process.
Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives
Last week, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced the release of Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives.
Working with the Media: Creating New Contexts
I got a phone call from an angry woman this morning saying that I should be beaten. This is unusual for Saturday mornings and I didn’t quite understand her anger until I read the San Francisco Chronicle story with this punchline:

So when Coombs asks, “How many cases are enough to justify” the database, I have a simple answer.
One.

I have to admit, I was sad to see this (mis)quote at the end of the story. I felt like I was set up. I do hundreds of interviews and I’ve never contacted a writer about being misquoted or having a controversial quote included in a story. In fact, I’ve had much more controversial lines written about me but the difference here is that in most cases a writer will make it clear (intentionally or not) when they are looking for a fall-guy. Continue reading by clicking here.
OpEd: Chicago Police Stonewall on Rape Investigations
Julie was a graduate student at the University of Chicago when, in 2007, she was raped by a man she had been introduced to that night as a friend’s new boyfriend. They were at a bar, and he was “acting weird toward me. He kept touching me and I kept pushing him away.” The man’s behavior attracted the attention of the club’s manager and bouncer, who kicked him out.