It is the Christmas season. Christmas brings dreams of presents under the tree and goodies to eat. Since , I no longer get a toy. I was making a wish list for the criminal justice system in Tennessee. Here they are in no particular order:

  • Dash cams for all patrol cars in Nashville Davidson County, Tennessee.
  • Open discovery. It is a concept where the district attorneys open their file to let you look at the evidence.
  • Abolishing the Jenck’s Act. The Jencks Act codified under Rule 26.2 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure. An attorney only gets to read a witnesses statement after they testify. How can you make an effective decision on whether to plea guilty.
  • The right to take a deposition of the primary police officer in charge of the case.
  • The rates for those representing indigent defendants be increased.
  • For the return to an independent judiciary.
  • District Attorneys who present the correct charge rather than indicting a more serious charge to force a plea bargain.
  • A Tennessee legislature that makes solid judgments rather than make a knee jerk reaction to curry favor to certain segments of the voters.
  • End mass incarceration.
  • Protect the Fourth Amendment.
  • Allow partial expungements.

My associate has two Christmas wishes.

  • A database of all negative alcohol screens.
  • A database of all false positive drug dog hits.

I bet I don’t get anything in my Christmas stocking.