LLRX.com - Features

The Blog - Another Tool in Your Arsenal

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0700

Janet Peros provides an overview of how law librarians have integrated blogs and RSS into current awarness services for practice groups and client related research.

The Impact of Social Networking Tools and Guidelines to Use Them

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0700

LaJean Humphries identifies the wide range of social networking sites with which researchers should be knowlegeable, and addresses legal, privacy and ethical concerns associated with their use. She also provides a bibliography of books, articles and reports that focus on the impact of social networking applications.

Deep Web Research 2007

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

Marcus P. Zillman's bibliographic guide highlights resources that focus on the history of deep web research, as well as dozens of topical sources that will contribute to your search and research efforts, through a range of respositories of valuable data, reports and scholarly literature.

Criminal Justice Resources - Criminal Justice Blogs

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

Ken Strutin's guide includes blogs that provide news and analysis of current developments in criminal justice. The blogs are authored by lawyers, law professors, law librarians, public defenders, criminal justice professionals and observers and commentators on the justice system.

A Compilation of State Lawyer Licensing Databases

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

Trevor Rosen and Andrew Zimmerman's guide focuses on websites that will help you determine whether a lawyer is currently licensed to practice in a particular state.

Librarianship - Promoting Public Service and Philanthropy

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

Kara Phillips shares examples of diverse personal volunteer efforts within the law library community, gleaned from an informal survey, that include service on the local, national and international level.

Developments in Legal Outsourcing and Offshoring

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:47:37 -0700

Ron Friedmann and Joy London have been tracking legal market outsourcing and offshoring since 2005, and offer their insights into how this market will expand in the future.

The Directorate of Legal Research at the Library of Congress: A Treasure Hidden Under a Bushel Basket

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:38:39 -0700

Michael Ravnitzky pulls back the curtain on a little known but extensive (his findings date back to 1915) and continuously updated source of topical comparative and international law reports, on subjects of public interest, produced each year by experts within the Library of Congress.

Using RSS to Create and Enhance Current Awareness Services

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:36:51 -0700

Jason Eiseman's guide demonstrates how adding RSS to your technological arsenal can enhance the current awareness services you provide, as well as your ability to effectively manage organization-wide information.

Criminal Justice Resources: Juvenile Law and Family Court Resources

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:53:09 -0700

The latest installment of Ken Strutin's Criminal Justice Resources series is a bibliography of juvenile and family law sources from professional and commercial institutions, government agencies and public interest groups.

Law Librarian One of Top Ten Finalists for Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:45:51 -0700

Law Librarian One of Top Ten Finalists for Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award

By Kara Phillips

Kara Phillips, Collection Development Librarian/Associate Director at Seattle University Law Library since 1997, has worked for various state agencies in Washington as a contract librarian as well as the Gallagher Law Library East Asian Law Department and Lane Powell Spears Lubersky. Recipient of a Blakemore Fellowship, she studied Mandarin Chinese at the Stanford Center in Taipei, Taiwan in 1996 and during her sabbatical in 2007 will work in China, setting up an American legal collection at Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Law.

Small Content, Long Tails, and Big Ideas in Law Libraries

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:40:17 -0700

Small Content, Long Tails, and Big Ideas in Law Libraries

by Jason Eiseman

Jason Eiseman (MLS) is the Computer Automation Librarian at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in Portland, Oregon.

Features - Criminal Justice Resources: Prisoners' Rights and Resources on the Web

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:52:20 -0700

Criminal Justice Resources

Prisoners' Rights and Resources on the Web

By Ken Strutin

Ken Strutin (JD, MLS) is an experienced law librarian, criminal defense attorney, and well-known writer and speaker. He is the author of The Insider's Guide: Criminal Justice Resources on the Internet, and has lectured extensively about the benefits of using the Internet for legal research at national and local CLE training programs. Mr. Strutin also wrote ALI-ABA's Practice Checklist Manual on Representing Criminal Defendants, and co-authored the award winning Legal Research Methodology computer tutorial, published by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI). He has contributed chapters to several books and written many articles concerning knowledge management, legal research and criminal law. Mr. Strutin has taught courses in Advanced Legal Research and Law Office Management. He is also listed in Who's Who in American Law. Currently, Mr. Strutin is the Director of Legal Information Services at the New York State Defenders Association and writes a column for the New York Law Journal.

Published August 15, 2006

Introduction

This guide highlights resources about prisons, the people who occupy them, legal and social services for inmates and their families, issues related to incarceration and reentry, and human rights behind bars. The focus is on selected web resources and online publications.

Commissions	Legal Services	Physical Health	Statistics
Conditions of Confinement	Library Services	Policy Research	Support Services
Education	Mental Health	Prisoners' Rights	Voting Rights
Guides and Manuals	News and Periodicals	Prisons	Women
Inmate and Prison Locators	Organizations	Reentry	Bibliographies and Research Guides
Law School Clinics	Parole	Standards

Commissions

National commissions have been created to investigate conditions and facilitate legislation aimed at reforming the prison system. And many states and local governments have established agencies to oversee their correctional facilities, and issue reports about their operations. More information on the national level can be found under Conditions of Confinement.

National Commissions

Selected State Commissions

South Dakota Corrections Commission

Conditions of Confinement

The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons conducted a national examination of the violence, sexual abuse, degradation, and other abuses occurring in prisons and jails across the country. Four public hearings were held over the course of a year. In 2006, they issued their final report, Confronting Confinement, with recommendations for improving and reforming the prison system, which included standardized reporting of violence and abuse, reinvestment in violence prevention programs, and expanding Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement to cover correctional facilities. The Commission was staffed and funded by the Vera Institute of Justice.

In addition to the work of the Commission, the following organizations have been monitoring and studying prison conditions in the United States, and around the world:

Human Rights Watch: Prisons
Human Rights Watch: United States Prisons

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), 42 USC § 15601, et seq., gave rise to the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The Commission website makes accessible testimony taken at ongoing hearings along with updates about their work. The following sites provide resources on PREA and its implementation:

National Institute of Corrections

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Related Resources

Education

Prison societies and academic institutions devote resources to prison education through distribution of books and supporting course materials.

Correctional Education Association (CEA)
National Institute for Correctional Education (NICE)

Prisoners' Reading Encouragement Project (PREP)

Guides and Manuals

Here are several excellent publications that provide information on legal research, inmate rights, pro se litigation, and resources for prisoners and ex-offenders.

Arrested? What Happens to Your Benefits If You Go to Jail or Prison? (Bazelon Center)
Jailhouse Lawyer's Handbook and Women's Appendix (Center for Constitutional Rights & National Lawyers Guild)
Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual (Columbia Human Rights Law Review)
Protecting Your Health and Safety: Prisoner's Rights (Southern Poverty Law Center)

Inmate and Prison Locators

The federal government posts a list of its facilities, and a locator to find particular inmates. Most states offer similar resources for their prisons and some jails. In addition to these directories, an individual state or county's facilities can be found by searching the local government's website or one of the national lists below for the appropriate department of corrections.

Federal Prison Facilities (Federal Bureau of Prisons)
Inmate Locator (Federal Bureau of Prisons)
Inmate Locators (Corrections.com)
National Prison Directory (PrisonerLife.com)

Law School Clinics

Many law schools have created clinics to provide representation for incarcerated persons who need assistance in post-conviction matters and prison-related cases.

Law School Clinics Serving Prisoners (AALL 2004)
Prisoner Law (University of Buffalo)

Legal Services

These are directories and sites that provide information about legal services for prisoners and information on self-representation.

Human Rights in Prisons and Jails (Southern Center for Human Rights)
Prison Dharma Network Resource Guides Legal Aid Services
Prisoners' Legal Resource Addresses (Death Row Speaks)
Prisoners' Rights (Pro Bono Net)
Prisoners' Rights Project (The Legal Aid Society)

Library Services

The resources from national library organizations and others provide information on the issues related to serving this special population.

Directory of State Prison Librarians (Maryland Correctional Education Libraries)
Law Libraries Serving Prisoners (AALL)
Library Service to Prisoners Forum (ALA)
Prison Librarianship Clearinghouse
Services to Incarcerated People and Ex-Offenders (ALA)

Mental Health

The appropriate treatment of inmates with mental health issues has been the subject of much study and debate. This is a small selection of recently published materials and resources.

Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project (Council of State Governments 2002)
How to Help--When a Person With Mental Illness Is Arrested (NAMI 2004)
Ill-Equipped: US Prisons and Offenders With Mental Illness (HRW 2003)
Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers (US Dept of Justice 1999)
Mental Health in the House of Corrections (Correctional Association of New York 2004)

News and Periodicals

Stories about prison conditions and developments in the law affecting prisoners' rights can be found in these specialized sources. Notably, there are some standout publications, such as the monthly magazine Prison Legal News, which provides excellent comprehensive coverage and analysis of prison issues. Their website includes a rich collection of resources and an extensive list of research links.

News

BOPWatch Listserv
Corrections Community Blog (National Institute of Corrections)
Corrections News & Features (Officer.com)
Corrections Today (American Correctional Association
Jail and Prisoner Law Bulletin (AELE Law Enforcement Legal Center
Prison Legal News
Prisons (Yahoo News) (NCSC)

Law Reviews

Annual Review of Criminal Procedure [Prisoners' Rights] (Georgetown University Law Center)
Columbia Human Rights Law Review (Columbia University School of Law)
New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement (New England School of Law)

Periodicals

Correct Care (National Commission on Correctional Health Care)
Journal of Correctional Health Care (National Commission on Correctional Health Care)
Journal of Prisoners on Prisons
Prison Journal (Pennsylvania Prison Society)

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Organizations

There is a broad spectrum of private, academic and governmental organizations concerned with the state of US prisons and the operation of the prison system. Many of them publish reports and studies on issues vital to prisoners' rights and prison reform.

Parole

Here are some general sites concerning parole administration, more information can be found in the Reentry section.

American Probation and Parole Association
Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision
Parole Violations Revisited (National Institute of Corrections 2004)

Physical Health

Health issues for people behind bars are a serious concern and have an impact on society at large. Here are a few national resources on this topic.

Policy Research

Many private, academic and governmental groups engage in research on prison and sentencing reform. They often conduct original research on the conditions of confinement or develop strategies to respond to current problems, such as overcrowding.

Federal Prison Policy Project
Impact of Sentencing Reforms on Prison Populations (Vera Institute of Justice)
Prison Expansion & Sentencing Reform (Open Society Institute)
Prison Policy Initiative
Sentencing and Corrections Program (Vera Institute of Justice)
State Sentencing and Corrections Programs (Vera Institute of Justice)
Treatment or Incarceration (Justice Policy Institute 2004)

Prisoner's Rights

Much of the literature and resources on prisoners' rights have already been noted under other categories.

Prison Litigation Reform Act (The Legal Aid Society, Prisoners' Rights Project 2004)
Prisoner's Rights ((Wex Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School)
Prisoners' Rights Fact Sheets (ACLU National Prison Project)

Prisons

These sources concentrate on the unique concerns of prisons and correctional facilities related to placement, administration, and economics.

Classification of High Risk Prisoners (National Institute of Corrections 2004)
Costs of Incarceration and Supervision (Third Branch 2004)
Meaning of Life: Long Prison Sentences in Context (Sentencing Project 2004)
New Landscape of Imprisonment (Urban Institute 2004)
Objective Prison Classification System (National Institute of Justice 2004)
State Prison Expenditures 2001 (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2004)

Reentry

More than 600,000 former ex-offenders are in the process of reentering society. And governmental and private entities are beginning to provide much needed services to ease the transition and promote reintegration.

Advocacy Toolkits to Combat Legal Barriers Facing Individuals With Criminal Records (Legal Action Center)
After Prison Initiative (Open Society Institute)

Collateral Consequences of Criminal Charges (NY)
Family Justice
Legal Action Center
Life After Exoneration Program
Prisoner Reentry (National Criminal Justice Reference Service)
Prisoner Reentry (National District Attorneys Association)
Prisoner Reentry (National Governors Association)
Prisoner Reentry Institute (John Jay College of Criminal Justice)
Project Greenlight (Vera Institute of Justice)
Reentry Net
Reentry Policy Council
Reentry Resource Map (National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Reentry Trends in the United States (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2002)
Relief From the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction: A State-by-State Resource Guide (Sentencing Project)
Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (US Dept of Justice)

Standards

National and state standards exist for the administration and operation of prison and jail facilities.

National Standards

Jail Standards and Inspections (National Institute of Corrections)
Standards & Accreditation (American Correctional Association)

Selected State Standards

Statistics

Criminal justice agencies, academic and some private organizations collect statistical information on prison populations, services and special issues.

Corrections Statistics (US Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Juveniles in Corrections (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention)
State Corrections Statistics (National Institute of Corrections)

Support Services

Many organizations exist that provide a variety of basic services to inmates and their families.

Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Family and Corrections Network
Nation Prisoner Resource List (Prison Book Program)
Prison Help Services
Prison Resource Directory (Prisonet)
Prisoner Support Directory (Prison Activist Resource Center)
Prisoner Support Directory (Western Prison Project)
Serving Families of Adult Offenders: Directory of Programs (National Institute of Corrections 2002)

Voting Rights

The right to vote for persons behind bars has become the focus of studies, policy discussions and litigation nationwide.

Barred for Life: Voting Rights Restoration in Permanent Disenfranchisement States (Sentencing Project 2005)
Felon Disenfranchisement (Prison Policy Initiative)
Felon Disenfranchisement (NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
Felon Voting (Dr. Christopher Uggen, University of Minnesota)
Legislative Changes on Felony Disenfranchisement 1996-2003 (Sentencing Project 2003)
Purged! How a Patchwork of Flawed and Inconsistent Voting Systems Could Deprive Millions of Americans of the Right to Vote (ACLU 2004)

Women

Several organizations have devoted significant resources to the special issues facing women behind bars.

Resource List for Women in Prison (Chicago Books to Women in Prison)
Women in Prison (ACLU National Prison Project)
Women's Prison Association

Bibliographies and Research Guides

Here are some extensive bibliographies, pathfinders, and collections of resources on prison related topics.

Jail & Prisoner Law Resources (AELE Law Enforcement Legal Center)
Prison & Corrections-Related Mega-Links (Dr. Thomas O'Connor, Austin Peay State University)
Prisoner Rights & Resources (Findlaw)
Resources for Legal Research: Prisoners' Rights (Pace Law School)

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Features - Global Law Firm Knowledge Management Survey 2006

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:50:56 -0700

Global Law Firm Knowledge Management Survey 2006

By Gretta Rusanow

Gretta Rusanow is a lawyer, management consultant and author of Knowledge Management and the Smarter Lawyer, published by ALM Publishing. As the CEO of Curve Consulting, a New York and Sydney-based management consulting firm, Gretta advises law firms and law departments worldwide on their knowledge management, e-business, management and technology initiatives.

Features - It’s Not Rocket Science: Making Sense of Scientific Evidence

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:48:04 -0700

It's Not Rocket Science: Making Sense of Scientific Evidence

By Paul Barron

Paul Barron is the Director of the Library and Archives at the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia. This is a revised version of an article published in the Virginia Lawyer in December 2005^[1]