Friday afternoon roundup

Here are a few items from around the web I found interesting and thought you might too:

• Public Defender Stuff has a good roundup of PD blogs, including several linked in Grits blogroll and some newcomers. PDStuff has been doing a fine blogging job generally in recent weeks, and I encourage you to take a while and explore many of the recent posts.

• CrimProf Blog says it's easier to get a concealed carry license in Washington State than in other states. But what does it mean? As I asked in the comments, "So what's Washington State's murder rate like compared to states with more restrictive CCL laws, like Texas?" If it's not as high, then I'm not sure anyone should care that it's easier to carry a concealed gun there.

• See more from The Wretched of the Earth about criminal justice solutions and generally life as a Dallas PD.
  

• I don't link to Capital Defense Weekly often enough but I simply encourage you to read it all the time. Karl is doing an excellent job.

• According to Beyond the Border Blog, in Webb County being Middle Easterner in possession of a copy of the Koran can get you labeled a terrorist.

• Sentencing Law and Policy points to a new report from the Sentencing Project (pdf) on felon disenfranchisment in the United States. The report notes that when then-Gov. Bush and the Texas Legislature in 1997 ended the two-year waiting period for voting after felons complete their sentence in Texas, it restored voting rights to 317,000 people (p. 17).
  

• Counties that want to apply for grant funding from the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense to create public defender systems should attend a meeting in Galveston next week for guidance on the application process, timelines, etc. See the rules here. Applications are due Oct. 23.

• Off topic: I've been writing quite a bit on my personal blog, Huevos Rancheros, recently, discussing saints, sinners, and some thoughts about Mexico. Take a look if you've a mind to. With the baseball playoffs upon us, and given the bevy of Latin American players on the teams remaining, I'd especially be interested in any reader thoughts on this question: Why doesn't Major League Baseball open a franchise in Mexico City?