Know Your Legal Rights
But stay on the right side
Lesley-Ann Dickson
Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: News
A dozen students, mostly from the criminal justice department, met in Willard Conference Room at 6:30 last Tuesday, April 3 to listen to a panel of speakers inform them about their legal rights as civilians.
District attorney Scott McNamara, public defender Leland McCormac, Joe Marmelstein from the public defenders office and Laura Bedford, New York state attorney general, were among the several prestigious speakers who attended UC.
"There is a whole different life beneath the one that we live," McNamara said when talking about the criminal world outside the safe walls of campus. He then offered several anecdotes about situations he had witnessed where a successful or well-rounded person found themselves immersed in the criminal underworld at the drop of a hat. McNamara described this simply as "going from the good world to the bad world."
He told UC students about a boy he used to coach baseball, who decided he was going to become a marijuana dealer. The boy ended up being shot after making what McNamara described as a "terrible decision;" he now remains paralyzed.
McNamara said this is a typical example of good kids meddling in unknown waters. The boy hadn't understood the world he was dealing with. "Criminals know when someone is not from the criminal world," McNamara said.
McNamara touched on rape and emphasized how "no means no!" and informed students that he had witnessed two prosecutions at UC relating to sexual crimes. The majority of his address was, however, on the subject of drugs.
The other speakers continued to reiterate McNamara's points about narcotics and the threat that lurks within the drug world.
McCormac reminded students to use "good judgment" and to consider the fact that although they may not necessarily have drugs in their possession, if they are with someone who has drugs then they can also be charged, "This could be in an apartment, car, or campus suite," he said.
District attorney Scott McNamara, public defender Leland McCormac, Joe Marmelstein from the public defenders office and Laura Bedford, New York state attorney general, were among the several prestigious speakers who attended UC.
"There is a whole different life beneath the one that we live," McNamara said when talking about the criminal world outside the safe walls of campus. He then offered several anecdotes about situations he had witnessed where a successful or well-rounded person found themselves immersed in the criminal underworld at the drop of a hat. McNamara described this simply as "going from the good world to the bad world."
He told UC students about a boy he used to coach baseball, who decided he was going to become a marijuana dealer. The boy ended up being shot after making what McNamara described as a "terrible decision;" he now remains paralyzed.
McNamara said this is a typical example of good kids meddling in unknown waters. The boy hadn't understood the world he was dealing with. "Criminals know when someone is not from the criminal world," McNamara said.
McNamara touched on rape and emphasized how "no means no!" and informed students that he had witnessed two prosecutions at UC relating to sexual crimes. The majority of his address was, however, on the subject of drugs.
The other speakers continued to reiterate McNamara's points about narcotics and the threat that lurks within the drug world.
McCormac reminded students to use "good judgment" and to consider the fact that although they may not necessarily have drugs in their possession, if they are with someone who has drugs then they can also be charged, "This could be in an apartment, car, or campus suite," he said.
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