You can clear your criminal record - but there’s a catch

Tens of thousands of people are arrested every year in the Baltimore area. For the “frequent fliers” of our criminal justice system, one arrest probably won’t make much of a difference in their lives. But for productive members of society who may have experienced a legal knee scrape, having an arrest on their criminal record can create embarrassment, frustration and even unemployment. More  Read More →

Oft-arrested peace activist looks at the legal system

MAX OBUSZEWSKI PROFESSION: Peace activist ACHIEVEMENTS: Member of several groups, including Baltimore Nonviolence Center, Baltimore Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore and the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance More  Read More →

Guilty! Of inappropriate clothes in court

Silver vinyl dresses, ripped jeans, “wife-beaters” — great to wear to a nightclub perhaps, but not a courthouse. Yet all of these — and undoubtedly even more unusual and inappropriate clothes — have crossed courtroom thresholds in Baltimore and Baltimore County. More  Read More →

Crash Course: Making sense of Maryland’s parole system

The Maryland Parole Commission operates in obscurity but wields the power to grant or deny freedom to thousands of inmates eligible for parole, from the nickel-and-dime drug dealer pulling a six-month stint in jail to a murderer serving life in prison. More  Read More →

The credit wise consumer

Do you read the fine print on the back of your credit card bills? Hmmm. Do you understand it? Would you like to improve your credit score? Do you wish you knew what to look out in getting a loan? Do you ever fear that you’re being ripped off? More  Read More →

Letter to the Editor: Arrests for cheering graduates

I read in the September issue’s Uncommon Law that six people were arrested for cheering at a high school graduation. My concern is: Why are you arresting people for feeling proud of their children for finishing high school? Do you realize this will look bad for schools? This will look bad for parents. This will definitely look bad for the graduates. If I graduate high school, will you arrest my mother for cheering for me at my graduation? One more question: If you graduated from your high school,... More

A look back: Baltimore FBI took down violent radicals

The election race between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain renewed media coverage of a 1960s domestic terrorist group known as the Weathermen, or the Weather Underground. The New York Times and other publications have reported about a former member, William Ayers, who has been an associate of Obama’s in Chicago. More  Read More →

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