One child at a time

We talk about cases in the news (Jodi Arias and OJ), plus larger legal issues involving the drug war and capital punishment with defense attorney Victor Sherman. He explains the incentive to plead out of court, the process of arguing for the life of a client in death penalty cases, and the different tactics used in defending large drug "organizations" on Crime Time.


GUEST BIO:
Victor Sherman founded Sherman & Sherman along with Janet Sherman in 1984. Prior to Sherman & Sherman, Mr. Sherman practiced criminal law with Michael Nasatir and Richard Hirsch under the firm name of Nasatir, Sherman & Hirsch, which was incorporated in 1969.
Mr. Sherman has tried hundreds of cases in both federal and state courts, defending clients in cases ranging from business fraud to drug offenses, tax crimes, securities fraud, money laundering, public corruption, customs violations and racketeering, as well as misdemeanor and felony offenses and crimes of violence such as murder, sexual assaults and arson. In 1999, he represented the lead defendant in the largest money-laundering case in United States history. His clients have been as varied as a "Watergate" defendant and a defendant charged with the largest bank heist in the nation. Mr. Sherman has argued before the United States Supreme Court (United States v. $8,850) and Courts of Appeal in many federal circuits. Mr. Sherman was a national commentator during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, and is currently challenging the secret and indiscriminate wiretapping of over 100,000 California residents conducted by Los Angeles County District Attorney and law enforcement agencies in Southern California over the past decade.
Mr. Sherman conceived of and began sponsoring the Aspen Advanced Criminal Law Seminar in 1980 in order to create an environment for defense attorneys to share their common experiences in a setting sure to inspire maximum learning and congeniality. Since 1997, the seminar has been co-sponsored by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mr. Sherman has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in Southern California, 2009 Edition, which was published as a supplement by the Los Angeles Times in its December, 2008 edition of the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Mr. Sherman received his B.S. in Business from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1962 and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law), in 1965. Mr. Sherman can be seen regularly on MSNBC and other various media outlets providing legal commentary on today's hottest cases.

ADD'L LINKS:
http://www.shermanshermanlaw.com/
Crime Time Full Episode Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMGVX...
Crime Time Shorts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaL2K...

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Coming up on Crime Time.
01:52 Welcoming Victor Sherman.
03:30 Mitigating the punishment in death penalty cases-a drive-by shooter.
07:30 The death penalty state to state.
10:40 Responding to the OJ Simpson sentencing.
15:01 Legalization of Marijuana and the law.
17:03 Right to trial in the Federal Courts.
22:49 Being a defense lawyer is, "like a gunslinger."
28:20 Presenting defendants reasonably, and having to choose tactics.

In order to win his newfound freedom, Memphis death row prisoner Timothy McKinney had to plead guilty to a murder he maintains he did not commit.

The Texas girl, who was just 11 when she was raped by 20 men over a 3 month period in 2010 has revealed that she is now 7 months pregnant at age 14.

Jodi Arias tells The Associated Press that it would cause more pain for her family, if she is sentenced to death. Arias has been convicted of killing her for...

A group of priests and nuns has organized in an effort to stop sexual predators in the church and to push for enforcement of zero-tolerance policies.

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett: More than anything, girls at risk of becoming pregnant need education, contraception - and love

Campaigners demand urgent shake-up of court procedure after seven barristers cross-examined a girl in child-grooming case

A new report by the Justice Department found prison inmates in Indianapolis, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Philadelphia suffered a higher-than-average rate of sexual abuse at the hands of guards.

Carlene Firmin: Gang-involved girls were found to be over nine times more likely to exhibit 19 or more risk factors than other young people

Effective early intervention can support those at risk of joining gangs to build better lives, says Lorraine Khan

Lee Mott, a Criminal Defence Solicitor, shares his concerns about the current reforms being carried out by Justice Minister Chris Grayling. Wide-ranging cuts...

Days before the Chicago school board was to vote on closing 54 schools, thousands took to the streets for three days of marching to demand education justice.

Sisters abused over six years by their uncle - disgusted by two year sentence for sexual abuse

Meanwhile, as the US government's apparent war on whistle-blowers gathers pace, some media outlets are taking steps to shield their sources. The New Yorker has launched a system that allows people to anonymously submit leaked documents and messages to the magazine

"Three Chicago teenagers are facing sexual assault charges after they allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl at gunpoint and posted a video of that attack on Facebook.
In December, two 16-year-old boys and one 15-year-old boy brought the girl to one of their homes and allegedly took turns assaulting her, including sodomizing her. One of the young men had a gun in his pocket during some of the assaults and another held the gun during the rape. All of the rapes were caught on film and all three boys are visible in the videos, flashing gang signs."*

Three teenage boys allegedly raped a 12-year old girl, recorded it, and bragged about the incident on facebook. Did they think they would get praised for the act? Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break it down.

*Read more from The Frisky:
http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-05-21/r...

After fifteen years in prison, Timothy McKinney will be released from prison later this afternoon.

Suzanne Moore: When children are injected with heroin and sold for sex, where are the witnesses, the men who knew what was going on but said nothing?

Peter Preston: Suzanne Moore leads a phalanx of angry women with a lot to say about the flood of abuse cases, but men have signally failed to rise to the challenge

When film-maker Anna Hall found out about the exploitation of young girls in Telford, she had to bring the evidence to a wider public. Maggie Brown reports

Some 120,000 gene samples taken in two years, as police forces argue they are acting within the law

Three Chicago teens accused of gang-raping a 12-year-old girl at gunpoint and posting the video to Facebook will face charges as adults, Cook County prosecutors announced Friday.