Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyers Nationwide
Below you’ll find the blog posts and comments from the Criminal Justice category. We will try to cover topics and articles and information about criminal issues and defense cases across the nation.
We often blog about how your privacy and civil rights are under attack. When in comes to recording the police as a private citizen, and being free from constant government surveillance, such as with automatic licence plate scanners, your freedoms are being eroded.
Check here to read about real criminal cases that may present alternatives to prosecution, local drug court procedures, and a host of other issues that can directly effect the best possible outcome for your case.
Justice is served when all the rules and obligations of the prosecution and defense are met in a court of law. The prosecution always has the burden of proof, that is, all defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Knowing the criminal justice system is the best defense.
Every month there seem to be more and more cases of people being arrested for doing nothing more than videotaping the police. This is due, at least in part, to more people having video capable phones. But it also signals a growing frustration among the police, where they would affect an arrest in many cases [...]
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An article in the Atlantic this week does a great job in exposing how the War on Terror has helped arm “peace” officers with militaristic weaponry and equipment. It has, in essence, completely changed the appearance and often the motivation of police departments across the country. But the War on Terror isn’t the only war [...]
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The overwhelming majority of criminal cases are resolved with a plea bargain. In fact, it’s estimated that over 90% never make it to trial—instead meeting their end when the prosecutor and defendant come together in a mutual agreement. But what happens if a defendant isn’t told of a plea offer and ends up being sentenced [...]
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New York City, Chicago, Boston, Denver, San Diego. The story’s the same across the country. The police are over-worked and getting antsy about it. The persistence of the protesters to stay put, is getting a definitive result: thousands of arrests.
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Over the past several years, we’ve heard about DNA databases designed to keep tabs on convicted criminals. These databases are designed to catalog the identifying information to potentially help solve future crimes. But some in the criminal justice world think that the same sort of cataloging should be done on police officers. Understandably, many officers [...]
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When you are facing significant criminal charges with nothing to lose, who would you write a letter to? Many defendants are using their time pending sentencing to write to the judge overseeing their case, all in an effort to beg leniency for their offenses. “Most defense attorneys, I think, would view this kind of correspondence, [...]
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In a last ditch effort, Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) is pushing for the passage of his National Criminal Justice Commission Act, a piece of legislation that was halfway to becoming law last year before it missed the final calendar in the Senate. He’s announced he won’t be running again in 2012, but is hopeful that [...]
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Law enforcement agencies across the country are gathering information from suspects’ cell phones without warrants. They may not be reading your text messages or viewing your call list, but they are tracking your locations. A U.S. Appeals Court ruled this week that the Justice Department must tell the public how it is using this information [...]
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In a ruling that may have long reaching effects, the Federal Court of Appeals in Boston ruled this week that a citizen’s right to record the police in the commission of their duties is protected by the First Amendment. The case involved Simon Glik, a spectator who recorded three police officers who he believed were [...]
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The last time the United State Supreme Court examined eyewitness identification and the Constitution was 1977. Since that time, much has been learned about the role and the effectiveness of human memory in regards to identifying a stranger. Now that they plan to revisit the issue, some hope this will open an opportunity for the [...]
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