Flutterby™! : U.S. DOJ gets a few very right

NY Times: U.S. Issues Far-Reaching Rules to Stem Prison Rape. Here's a direct link to the Department of Justice National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape (PDF). (Via MeFi)

US Department of Justice sent a letter to Baltimore police affirming the public's ‘right to record’. Here's a direct link to the letter to the Baltimore Police Department from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (PDF)

While courts have only recently begun to refine the contours of the right to record police officers, the justification for this right is firmly rooted in long-standing First Amendment principles. The right to “[g]ather[] information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting ‘the free discussion of governmental affairs.’” Glik, 655 F.3d at 82 (citing Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214, 218 (1966)). The application of this right to the conduct of law enforcement officers is critically important because officers are “granted substantial discretion that may be used to deprive individuals of their liberties.” Id.; Gentile v. State Bar of Nev., 501 U.S. 1030, 1035-36 (1991) (“Public awareness and criticism have even greater importance where, as here, they concern allegations of police corruption.”). The “extensive public scrutiny and criticism” of police and other criminal justice system officials serves to “guard[] against the miscarriage of justice,” Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart, 427 U.S. 539, 560 (1976) (citing Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333, 350 (1966)), a harm that undermines public confidence in the administration of government. When police departments take affirmative steps to protect individuals’ First Amendment rights, departments “not only aid[] in the uncovering of abuses . . . but also may have a salutary effect on the functioning of government more generally.” Glik, 655 F.3d at 82-83.

Also Via MeFi.

U.S. Department of Justice prosecutes cop who raped woman who called 911 when the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office wouldn't.

As MeFi commenter Salvador Hardin remarked:

I'm...really out of practice reacting to positive civil liberties news.