Dan Carman

Can You Break the Law in Virtual Reality?

Dan Carman · March 30, 2017 ·

A 12-year-old boy gets behind the wheel of his Cadillac and cruises down the streets of Miami. He occasionally gets out of the vehicle to collect money from passersby, using violence when necessary. He drives through parks and public spaces, colliding with pedestrians. He deftly avoids police officers who chase after him. There are no consequences or legal ramifications - after all, he’s just playing a video game. For years, games like Grand Theft Auto have been allowing users to run amok in …

National Multiple Personality Day

Dan Carman · March 2, 2017 ·

March 5 is National Multiple Personality Day, a day in which the disorder is given countrywide recognition. Generally unknown or misunderstood, Multiple Personality Disorder, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, is defined by Psychology Today as “a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual. Some people describe this as an experience of possession. The person also experiences memory loss that is too …

The Immigration Detention Crisis

Dan Carman · February 28, 2017 ·

Immigration was one of the most hotly debated topics in the 2016 presidential election. It’s been the subject of polls, speeches, proposals and endless conversations. Yet, for all the talk about our nation’s policies, one aspect of immigration in the United States has largely been absent from our debates. Few Americans realize the appalling conditions of our immigrant detention system. As bad as things are in our jails, state prisons and federal prisons, things are significantly worse …

Prisoners Have Civil Rights, Too

Dan Carman · February 28, 2017 ·

Our prison system is often criticized for offering terrible living conditions, exploitative work conditions and poor medical care. For those who have little to no interaction with someone serving time in prison or jail, it can be tempting to simply ignore these conditions and chalk it up to well-deserved punishment for the crimes prisoners have committed. But failing to acknowledge the injustices that face prisoners could cause us to overlook abuses that could befall any of us, or any of …

How Parole Board Members are Chosen

Dan Carman · February 28, 2017 ·

To practice law, become a judge, or become a police officer, a person must have specific qualifications that include education, testing and, often, some form of evaluation by the state and/or an educational institution. It makes sense that these professionals should go through significant training and screening to be considered eligible to do their jobs. You might assume that all major players in our criminal justice system must go through a similar process before they are deemed …