A recent report by the American Bar Association [ABA] found that Kentucky's death penalty system is so broken and unfair that the state should declare a moratorium on executions. But a moratorium isn't enough. It is time to end the death penalty in Kentucky altogether. The 500-page ABA assessment found no uniform standards on eyewitness identifications and police interrogations, and a high error rate in death sentences, with more than 60 percent overturned on appeal. The study also found that Kentucky lacks safeguards to ensure that defendants with mental disabilities are not put to death. American Bar Association President Wm. (Bill) Robinson, along with former Kentucky Supreme Court Justices James E. Keller and Martin E. Johnstone, all of whom participated in the ABA assessment of Kentucky's death penalty system, recently wrote in the Courier-Journal, "The list of problematic cases is staggering, and review of the system is deeply troubling. Fairness, impartiality and effectiveness of counsel have been undermined by serious flaws that reveal systemic problems in administration of the death penalty in the commonwealth…" Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center and author of The Death Penalty in 2011: Year End Report, notes that the nation as a whole is backing away from the death penalty. “This year, the use of the death penalty continued to decline by almost every measure,” Dieter said . “Executions, death sentences, public support, the number of states with the death penalty all dropped from previous years. Whether it’s concerns about unfairness, executing the innocent, the high costs of the death penalty, or the general feeling that the government just can’t get it right, Americans moved further away from capital punishment in 2011.” "To make the leap that murder victim families are united in wanting a death penalty continues the critical oversimplification of “paying a price commensurate with their crimes” and the pathetic use of a grieving family at a parole hearing to justify another murder. I belong to two different organizations of murder victim families (thousands of us) that feel victim survivors are victimized yet again when murderers are given the gallows. My brother was murdered in 1986 and his murderer was poisoned to death in 1997 by the state of Missouri. That is why I work as a board member of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Don’t lay the need to continue executions down at victims’ feet. (You don’t know the voices of all of us.)" - Ben Griffith, in a letter-to-the-editor recently published by the Frankfort State-Journal. The death penalty is costly. The death penalty is out of step with modern thinking. The death penalty is risky. The death penalty is unfair, broken, and arbitrary. The death penalty is unnecessary. Victims' families deserve better. Kentucky’s death penalty is too broken to fix. It needs to be abolished.

Stopping Healthcare professionals from participating in torture and improper treatment of "prisoners" at Guantanamo Bay, and other detention spots

A 9 year old austic boy was put in a duffel bag by his teacher and put in the hall. Mistreatment of diabled people is far too common, but a child! In school! This teacher needs to be fired and there need to be strict rules in place against this. Read the article on MSN here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45770432/ns/us_news-life/ and watch the video.

The Pennsylvania state police are the primary and often the sole law enforcement agency avalible to respond to many small communities and most rural areas of the state. Even then many residents must wait 30 minutes for a trooper to arrive at their location in an emergeny. In many areas small towns with only one officer must call for back up from state police. The protection of citizens is a basic government responsibility. Currently the state is propsing to cut the state police by 10% or fire 500 troopers. This will result in large areas of the state being unpoliced for long periods each day.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Michael Gableman has a long-documented history of unethical conduct. Now, he is certifiably a pay-for-play patsie. It is time to call "lies" lies, and for the appearance of impropriety to be given due respect in the evaluation of a judge's fitness for duty.

In response to the realignment of prisoners to the county jails. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones has proposed a $100 million expansion to the County' Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center. This expansion would add 384 expensive and unneeded beds to the County's jails. In November, the County Supervisors already approved the reopening of 275 closed cells, costing the county $5.98 million, or 46%, of the 2011-2012 realignment budget for the Sacramento County. Realignment should be utilized to expand community program s and alternatives to incarceration not to build more cages.

Legalize medical marijuana so as to allow those states who wish to may institute their own medical marijuana program.

Once young people have been imprisoned, their records are smeared for ever. No longer can they apply for jobs, housing, funding, without being labelled "undesirable" and denied their benefits. Prison is for those who are a danger to society. The punishment is out of proportion with this "crime". By not imprisoning them, many people would get a second chance in life and it would save the States lots of money.

My sister was diagnosed with a condition Schizophrenia when she was 20 years old. She was under a medical psychiatric care and her doctor prescribed a wrong medication which caused severe bad side effects. She was at a store acting bizarre and the police were called and they arrested her. At the time of her guilty plea, she was not coherent to understand the consequences of her guilty plea. Therefore, she should not be punished for what she simply followed her doctor’s advise and she paid a heavy price by taking the wrong medicine. She lost her Section 8 housing Voucher and now she fears for the uncertainty of her future since she is unable to support herself. This decision has caused her to suffer emotionally and this has shattered her hopes for the future. Stress can trigger psychosis and make the symptoms of schizophrenia worse, so keeping it under control is extremely important. Wherefore, we requests that the Orange County Housing reconsider its decision and change how we treat mentally ill in this country. They need help not punishment

Because those responsible are still at their desks at Wall Street and will continue to create toxic instruments of mass destruction.

The Seventh Amendment right to an unbiased jury trial is as important as a citizen's right to vote. Yet, everyday working class citizens are denied this right when they level allegations of theft of their intellectual property against multimillionaire defendants. Government protection of the 99%, at our expense will no longer be tolerated!

Over a three-year period ending in 2007, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, headed by self styled "Toughest Sheriff in America" Joe Arpaio“ ignored or inadequately investigated over 400 sex crimes, many including reported child molestation, with victims as young as two years old. In the small Arizona community of El Mirage alone, at least 50 - 75 sex abuse cases (including over 32 child molestation reports) were never resolved. Victims of abuse, especially vulnerable children, are entitled to the protection of local law enforcement and deserve to have their accusers brought to justice. It is unconscionable that Sheriff Arpaio has allowed such a gross miscarriage of justice to take place under his direction. Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio's watch, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has allowed hundreds of reported sexual abuse crimes, including dozens of alleged child molestations, to be mishandled, inadequately investigated, or outright ignored. Law enforcement officials are sworn to serve and protect the public and victims of abuse are entitled to justice under our legal system.