Law With Mr. Lafayette

In this Episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, the Juvenile Justice system's philosophy and practice is discussed.  A by-product of the Progressive Era, reformers believed that juveniles deserved their own court system and a new approach to deal with delinquent, poor, vagrant youths of both genders who were living in the urban centers that were developing in the rapidly industrialized America of the 19th century.  From the New York House of Refuge, established in 1825, following the overwhelmed Houses of Refuge reform, training, and industrial schools were created across America.  These all placed an emphasis on education and industrial training programs as the names implied. 

In 1899, the Illinois Legislature enacted the Juvenile Court Act of 1899, creating the first in the nation, court system focused exclusively on juveniles.  Other states followed.  In Massachusetts, juveniles were first addressed in 1847, when the Commonwealth opened the first state-sponsored reform school for boys in Westborough, the Lyman School. The first public training school for girls at Lancaster, Massachusetts followed in 1854. Prior to this, facilities for the punishment and detainment of juveniles consisted mainly of jails and prisons. Over the decades 3 additional institutions were constructed.

By the 1960s however, scandals over the treatment or rather mistreatment of juveniles at these and other institutions led to the eventual deinstitutionalization of training schools.  

On March 27, 2022, the 94th annual Academy Awards took place in Hollywood, California.  What usually focuses on the actors and actresses being honored and the films determined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science was virtually eclipsed by the action of Will Smith, who would receive the Oscar for "Best Actor" in the movie King Richard, when he slapped the show's host comedian Chris Rock for a "joke" Rock had made about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.  Mrs. Smith has a medical condition called alopecia that results in hair loss, as a result Smith has shaved her head.  Listen to this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette as the subsequent crimes and their consequences are discussed.

Vladimir Putin has dramatically miscalculated in his dream to expand the Russian Federation into a nation beyond the borders of the Tsarist Empire of 1917.  Listeners can consider what will be next and how this illegal invasion and war against Ukraine a sovereign nation will end.

In the last episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, season 2 episode 7, although the various elements of the sentence that the former "Empire" star Jussie Smollett had received were listed, when he was sentenced on March 10th. it did not include the fact that Judge James Linn had also sentenced Smollett,  to 150 days in jail or essentially 5 months behind bars.  Smollett had been convicted by a jury of filing a false police report and a hoaxed hate crime.  Judge Linn went on to say that Smollett's entire testimony during his earlier trial was pure perjury.  "hour after hour of pure perjury."  In light of that comment alone, shouldn't Smollett be criminally charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?  Think about double standards, not only double jeopardy.  Could there be a future prosecution on the charge of perjury?

On March 10, 2022, former "Empire" star, now convicted felon and hoaxter, Jussie Smollett was sentenced for having set up a hate crime hoax.  In a highly publicized and politicized case, Smollett, gained public support from the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates.  Former First Lady Michelle Obama, and many other public officials and celebrities.  It was all a hoax.  As was presented at trial, Smollett paid the two men who "attacked" him, two Nigerian nationals and brother.  Video evidence was admitted that showed the brothers purchasing items that were associated with the attack including rope, bleach, and MAGA hats.  Judge James Linn of Cook County court, reprimanded Smollett in a near 30 minute statement before pronouncing sentence.  But it did not stop there.

Recent events, beginning in late February, with the invasion of the Ukraine by troops of the Russian Federation, as ordered by President Vladimir Putin continue to attack various targets in that neighboring nation.  The ramifications in terms of international law are significant.  Observers have noted that this is the largest mobilization and movement of troops in Europe since World War II.  There are many parallels between the aggression of Nazi Germany in 1939 against its neighboring countries, starting with Poland.  Within weeks, facing a technologically superior forces, the Polish nation was "steamrolled" by Nazi forces.  Now in 2022, without legitimate rationale, Russian troops have entered Ukrainian national space and have attacked many targets, recently taking the first Ukrainian city, Kherson on March 2.  The city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine appears to be next with the major port of Odessa to follow.  Listen to commentary by Mr. Lafayette as he reviews what lies ahead, legally, for Putin.