Category: Policy

Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Death Penalty, Evidence, Murder, Police and Prosecutors, Policy, Public Law, Self-Promotion, Social Media, True Crime

Essay about Defending Death Row Inmates published in ‘Berliner Zeitung’

Andrew Hammel

A few weeks ago, an editor at the Berliner Zeitung asked if I might be interested in writing a piece about how lawyers defend death row inmates in the USA. I said 'Sure, why not?' (Beers may have been involved). The piece was just published this weekend, you can read it here. It's paywalled --… Continue reading Essay about Defending Death Row Inmates published in ‘Berliner Zeitung’

Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Police and Prosecutors, Policy, Racial Discrimination, True Crime

What’s the Ethnic Composition of German Prisons?

Andrew Hammel

Whenever I speak with a certain type of German, the conversation turns to crime in America, and it goes a little like this: German: You Americans are quite racist. Your prisons are full of minorities! Me: So are yours. German: What? I don't think so. That sounds racist. Do you have any proof? Me: The… Continue reading What’s the Ethnic Composition of German Prisons?

Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, Federal Constitutional Court, Human Dignity, Mental State, Murder, Police and Prosecutors, Policy

What’s the Maximum Punishment under German Criminal Law?

Andrew Hammel

I'm back after a long hiatus, thanks for your patience. I've just had tons of work lately on many different projects, and I needed to figure out how to fit in time for the blog. This post will be about German prison sentences, specifically the longest ones for the most serious crimes. Before that, though,… Continue reading What’s the Maximum Punishment under German Criminal Law?

Criminal Law, Police and Prosecutors, Policy, Public Law, Soering, True Crime

The Söring Parole Decision

Andrew Hammel

Over at Soering Guilty as Charged, Holdsworth has an fine analysis of the decision to parole Soering and Haysom at the same time. As he points out, the decision makes zero sense from any perspective. The factors cited by the Parole Board in freeing Haysom and Soering apply to hundreds of prisoners who never get… Continue reading The Söring Parole Decision

Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, Miscarriages of Justice, Murder, Police and Prosecutors, Policy, Soering, True Crime

Dr. Andy Griffiths’ Complete Report on Jens Söring’s Interrogation, Part 1 of 2

Andrew Hammel

I. Introduction: The Griffiths Report Exists! Welcome to the first of two posts discussing Dr. Andy Griffiths' report on the questioning of Jens Söring. As followers of the Söring case know, Andy Griffiths is a retired English detective who runs a law-enforcement consulting business. By all accounts Griffiths is the real deal -- he has… Continue reading Dr. Andy Griffiths’ Complete Report on Jens Söring’s Interrogation, Part 1 of 2