Appellate court rejects “past as prelude” myth

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In a strongly worded ruling, a federal appellate panel has ordered that a Native American man be freed from civil confinement due to evidence of his rehabilitation while in prison. Both a judge and an expert witness had downplayed this evidence, condemning the man as a future risk based on long-ago transgressions, the Fourth Circuit panel concluded.  Full Article

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This is good for Mr Antone; but I’ll never get past the fact that I feel people that think they can predict the future, let alone the future actions of anyone are crazy, kooks, nut cases. These nut cases need to realize the criteria they use is about as effective as a crystal ball or Megans law, or the AWA, they just don’t work and have been proven to create problems rather than solve problems. It’s frightening that the courts bite into this BS.

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I think the federal prosecutors argument was damaged by relying on expert testimony from a Butner Prison psychologist. It sounded like the magistrate and judges took the responsibility of diagnosing the prisoners disorders. It makes me wonder how much money US taxpayers were bilked for expert testimony during this trial. Put it on my tab.

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