Syracuse Criminal Law Blog

Video surveillance systems are popping up all over the United States.  Law enforcement has taken an aggressive approach by employing dozens, if not hundreds, of surveillance cameras in cities and towns.  A few major justifications for employing the technology include that (1) police can respond to crime quickly by observing criminal behavior in real time, and (2) the cameras prevent crime simply through their presence. Despite these efforts, evidence from academic literature

When most people think about different types of crimes, they usually consider historically common crimes such as theft, assault, fraud, and murder.  Crimes typically contain two major elements – an act, known as “actus reus,” and “mens rea,” or mental state.  As a result of the anatomy of criminal laws, prosecutors are required to prove all of the elements of a crime if they wish to win a conviction.  An

Mass surveillance in the United States invokes too-close-to-home trepidation of a totalitarian “Big Brother” surveillance state. For most people, the inescapable surveillance state depicted in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, seemed just that — a thing for novels. Times have changed. Riding on the coat tails of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, the National Security Agency has expanded its mass surveillance efforts including the tracking of calls of millions

College is an exceptionally important time in a person’s educational development. It provides the opportunity to study subject matters of interest, acquire skills for a career, and experience personal growth. As of late, however, college campus sexual assault has attracted attention in the media. Campus Sexual Assault in the Media A PBS Newshour article cites Justice Department figures that say four out of five campus sexual assault victims do not

2008 Financial Crisis – Action against Execs The 2008 financial crisis goes down in history as a ubiquitous event that crushed the national and world economy. In August 2014, Bank of America paid a record $16.65 billion fine to settle government allegations that it had knowledge of selling pestilent mortgages to investors. JPMorgan Chase & Co agreed to a $13 billion settlement in November 2013 and Citigroup Inc. signed a

The rate of violent crime is dropping. New York City offers great insight into this reality. In 2014, 328 homicides were reported compared to a staggering 2,245 in 1990. According to the FBI, in 2010, the U.S. had experienced a 40-year low in violent crime. Experts offer numerous reasons for why crime is on the decline, including: more people are in prison than in the past, potential victims are protecting

On January 22, New York Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver was arrested for federal corruption charges. After years of rumors regarding injustices committed by Mr. Silver, the U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, filed a thirty-five page criminal complaint against Mr. Silver alleging five counts including honest services mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, extortion “under the color of law”,