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News Roundup

A disturbing case of child abuse has received widespread national news coverage this week.  As the L.A. Times reports, David and Louise Turpin of Perris, California, were charged with multiple felony counts of torture and child abuse after it was discovered that the couple had held their thirteen children captive for years and subjected them to unimaginable mistreatment.  On Sunday, one of the children escaped the family home through a window and called 911, alerting authorities that she and her siblings had been beaten, starved, shackled, and forced to live in unsanitary conditions.  Bail has been set at $12 million for each defendant.  Keep reading for more news.

Nassar.  From one shocking case of abuse we turn to another: the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar, the former Michigan State physician who for decades sexually abused female gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment.  Nassar pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges involving seven victims, but more than one hundred women are expected to testify at the sentencing hearing, which may stretch into next week.  The stories of those who already have spoken have been moving and wrenching; an article from the Washington Post recounts some of the testimony.  The revelations about Nassar’s conduct have raised serious questions about the responses from both Michigan State and USA Gymnastics to various allegations against Nassar over the course of many years.

Naloxone for APD.  The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that an Asheville teenager, Peter King, has raised $3,600 which he plans to use to buy 96 cans of the opioid overdose recovery drug naloxone for his local police department.  King was inspired to raise the funds after witnessing a car accident caused by an opioid overdose and learning that not all officers carry the drug on a regular basis.

Employment for Ex-Offenders.  The ABA Journal has an article this week that discusses how some state corrections agencies are formalizing programs where ex-offenders are hired to work in prison systems after serving their sentences.  The article tells the story of Cindy Stubbs who worked translating textbooks into braille while serving 14 years in South Carolina on gun and drug charges.  Just before her release, Stubbs was offered a job overseeing braille translations at Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg.  The article suggests that willingness to hire ex-offenders by corrections agencies encourages other employers to do the same.

Employment for Lawyers.  The North Carolina Sentencing Commission recently posted a job opportunity that may interest blog readers.  The Commission is looking for a Research and Policy Associate.  Though you actually don’t have to be a lawyer to apply for the job, the posting says that a J.D. is strongly preferred.  Hit the link for more details.

Snow Car.  We’ve had a lot of snow in North Carolina over the past few days, so it was a disappointment to learn that the best snow-related prank of the week occurred in Canada.  A Montreal artist sculpted a huge pile of snow in the street in front of his house into a very convincing model of a Toyota Supra.  So convincing, in fact, that some police officers stopped to issue the Supra’s owner a citation for being illegally parked.  

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