ArcaMax

It sometimes feels as though our democracy is broken, and I wonder if it is our own fault. We have the right to know what our government does on our behalf, but we have become an apathetic citizenry, apparently not caring enough to speak up when we don't like how politicians run the government or spend our tax dollars.

When was the last time ...Read more

Given that this is a crime and justice column, it is pretty safe to say this will likely be the only time I do a movie review. But considering the subject matter of the 2021 movie "I Care a Lot," this film is right up my alley.

As longtime readers may remember, I have frequently written about the nationwide evils of exploitative elder ...Read more

There is an astonishing trend afoot, and if something isn't done to stop it in its ugly tracks, your right to freely express an opinion is in jeopardy.

Former President Donald Trump may be one of the most reviled people in the United States, but the moves to silence him in the public square -- and others who have espoused similar ideologies -- ...Read more

There are now nearly 90,000 men who say they were sexually violated as young boys while participating in Boy Scouts of America programs. The absolute shame of it comes with the realization that, with a little vigilance, the ranks of victims would never have gotten that massive.

Back in the 1920s, the organization began keeping a "red flag" or "...Read more

There are no laws to shield people from misinformation. So, as the nation chugs toward the final stretch of the presidential campaign season, Americans need to take a good look at where they gathered the information that forms their political opinions.

If your news flows primarily from social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, ...Read more

There is too much financial uncertainty, political conflict and random violence these days.

We were already feeling frustrated with the prolonged isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic when waves of outrage began to spark. There were widespread civil rights protests following the tragic deaths of African Americans Breonna Taylor in Louisville, ...Read more

It was approaching dusk outside the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California. As the sun set and the air filled with the scent of devastating nearby wildfires, ambulances raced to the hospital's emergency room bearing two grievously wounded LA County sheriff's deputies.

The ambushed pair had been shot in the head while sitting in their...Read more

It is clear we have real racial problems in this country, problems that need to be worked through as we try to restore some semblance of harmony and understanding among the population.

National healing starts with meaningful conversations, devoid of angry rhetoric and criminal reactions, and needs to include everyone studiously listening to ...Read more

On the television crime drama "FBI," Special Agent Jubal Valentine brusquely orders an underling to run a photograph through facial recognition to identify a suspect. Boom! After a rocket-speed search, the computer spits out a name and address. Field agents get to work, and in no time, the bad guy is under arrest.

I'm here to tell you it is not...Read more

Show of hands: How many readers believe that the U.S. prison system truly works to rehabilitate convicts before releasing them back into society?

I'm betting not many hands went up.

A quick history of America's correctional-industrial complex shows that up until the late '60s, the goal really was to rehabilitate prisoners so they could have ...Read more