Funding Update and Blog Roundup

I wanted to point folks to a few quick items before I head out for the day.

First, an update: I'm more than halfway to Grits' fundraising goal to pay my way to the Restorative Justice conference next week in Kerrville: We're at $215 out of $400 needed. Thanks to everyone who's given so far. If you haven't donated and support coverage of the event on this blog, pony up a little through the PayPal button below or in the sidebar on Grits' main page. At this point, having raised more than half the money and registered, I'm going either way, but it'd be nice to get my expenses covered.



Elsewhere in the blogosphere:

Do state policies even matter in reducing crime?
Sometimes we fail to ask the most basic questions. The Texas Observer blog points to a study comparing California and Texas incarceration and crime rates for juveniles over ten years, finding that crime rates appeared to fluctuate (in tandem) independently of state policies.

Mexico's Drug Crackdown a Statistical Bust
Mexico has made fewer drug related arrests than in previous years, reports Beyond the Border blog, and is on pace to have its highest-ever total of drug-trafficking related murders. I worry a lot more about the second number than the first one - arresting lots of people isn't as important as arresting the RIGHT people. But the numbers aren't encouraging given the enormity of the task facing President Calderon, who earlier this year made a big show of sending in the military.

Dallas cop turns off camera for misconduct
A Dallas police officer turned off the camera in his squad car before allegedly extorting $700 from motorists at a traffic stop, reports I Was the State.

I guess those 15 million people don't vote
Another post at I Was the State brings word of an interesting survey declaring 21% of adult Americans have tried "street drugs" OTHER than marijuana, with 5% having used them in the last 12 months. Robert crunches the numbers to discover that this means 15 million Americans committed a felony drug crime in the last year!

Mayor punishes publication critical of Laredo Superjail
According to Texas Prison Bidness, negative reporting on Laredo Superjail (a proposed immigration detention facility for the US Marshal's Service) caused the Mayor to ban the publication LareDos from the airport and city hall. Here's the article that caused the controversy.

Book reports as punishments
Andrialegaldiva discusses the use of book reports as punishment. I added my two cents in the comments as did another parent with an interesting experience on the subject. I think this is a REALLY good idea, and not just for kids but also for technical probation violators.