Robert Alt on Overcriminalization | Overcriminalized.com Update

If you are having trouble viewing this message click here to view it online.

September 28, 2012 Edition    |    Discover more at Overcriminalized.com and Rule of Law home page General Editor: Paul Larkin of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies

Interview: Robert Alt on Overcriminalization Robert Alt is director of the Rule of Law Programs and senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. He sat down with us to discuss Heritage’s Overcriminalization project. READ MORE >>

ICYMI: Rent-Seeking Others into the Slammer When the Justice Department filed criminal charges against Gibson, the company’s plight — and the vulnerability of its customers, past and present, to similar charges — became an instant cause célèbre within the politically potent music industry. Democratic Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper promptly introduced the RELIEF Act, a bill that would have amended the Lacey Act to help Gibson. READ MORE >>

From the Wall Street Journal: Guilty Pleas in Federal Cases Soar Overview of the Supreme Court's October Term, 2012

Legislative Update from Capitol Hill Follow links below to learn about laws pending in Congress that may perpetuate Overcriminalization NEW CRIMINAL LAW PROPOSALS H.R. 6409: Private Sector Whistleblower Protection Streamlining Act of 2012 S. 3547: Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act S. 3556: Telemarketing Fraud Modernization Act of 2012 UPDATES

See Full List of Pending Legislation >>

The Definitive Book on Why and How to Reform Criminal Law Available Now ABOUT OVERCRIMINALIZATION The Heritage Foundation and a coalition of public interest legal groups are committed to reversing the troubling trend of overcriminalization, which is defined by three attributes: 1. Federalizing crime that properly belongs under state and local jurisdiction; 2. Imposing criminal penalties upon persons who acted without criminal intent (mens rea); 3. Applying criminal sanctions to conduct that historically has not been considered wrongful. This Legislative Update includes bills our researchers have identified that add or expand federal criminal offenses or penalties, but it generally does NOT include bills involving drugs, firearms, or crimes of violence.

The Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation’s most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.