Recent Posts
The Criminal Defense Blog
Return To Blog Listing
Everything from proposed legislation to the workings of the criminal court system to celebrity arrests--if it relates to criminal law and criminal defense, we're talking about it.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'the criminal justice system'
Kids Dead, Dad Wrongfully Executed?
Five years ago, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas on criminal charges for allegedly commiting arson at his own home in 1991, killing his three children. Willingham was convicted of murder and then executed in 2004 - but now a nationally r...
Dayton Cleans Up with Ohio’s Criminal Justice Grants
The state of Ohio is awarding nearly $30 million of federal stimulus money in grants to improve criminal justice throughout the state - and the Dayton area is getting $2.7 million of it. The money will be used to bolster criminal justice and aid in s...
Piece of Paper No Longer Cuts It: Lab Technicians Must Testify in Criminal Cases
For years a piece of paper proving that a driver had a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit was probably enough evidence for a conviction - with no actual testimony from a person who conducted the blood test. These days, that is no longer the ...
Ohio Cop Gets 20 Years for Cocaine Plot
A formers police officer in Zanesville, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a drug conspiracy that allegedly involved stealing drugs from criminal dealers and reselling them for profit, according to WBNS. Sean Beck was the third officer to b...
Tenn. Criminal Drug Tax Ruled Unconstitutional
Tennessee cannot collect taxes on illegal drugs because dealers are not merchants, the state supreme court ruled last week, overturning a controversial—and lucrative—2004 law, according to the Knoxville Sentinel. The Unauthorized Substances Taxâ€...
Jurors Taint Trial by Performing Outside Tests
A convicted murderer in Ohio is being released from prison pending a new trial after his defense attorneys successfully argued that juror curiosity violated his right to a fair trial, according to WLWT news. Ryan Widmer of Lebanon, Ohio, was serving ...
Illinois May Release 11,000 Non-Violent Prisoners
Illinois may release up to 11,000 non-violent prisoners from prisons across the state in an effort to save taxpayers more than $100 million, according to the Chicago Tribune. Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois is considering releasing prisoners convicted of ...
Teen Gets 30-Day Sentence for Hunting Accident Death
A teen in Washington state who killed a woman in a hunting accident was sentenced to 30 days in a juvenile intentional center, according to NBC affiliate KHQ. Tyler Kales, who was 14 at the time, was bear hunting with his brother on Sauk Mountain nor...
Lawyer Freed after 14-Year Contempt Sentence
Attorney H. Beatty Chadwick was released from a Delaware County, Pa., prison last week after spending 14 years behind bars — for contempt of court. In 1995, a county judge overseeing Chadwick’s divorce had issued incarceration for contempt â€...
Suspected S.C. Killer was Parolee
As police continue to investigate the slain man believed to have killed five people in a small South Carolina town, more incriminating details are uncovered, including his recent parole from a North Carolina prison, and had items belonging to the vic...
‘Three-Strikes’ Law Counts Juvenile Crime
California’s Supreme Court upheld a provision that allows crimes committed while a minor to affect sentencing under the state’s controversial Three-Strikes law, according to the San Francisco Gate. Under the three-strikes law, any second ...
Criminal Defendants Have Right to Question Lab Results
Criminal defendants can now question the validity of lab results in court, thanks to a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court. In a 5-4 ruling, the court said that allowing prosecutors to submit forensic evidence without questioning by the defense is ...
Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson’s Legal Legacy
When Michael Jackson died unexpectedly June 25, there were two points that summed up his obituary: He was a million-selling mega-superstar, and his personal life was sketchy at best. Jackson’s criminal history found him under investigation for ...
53 Indicted on $50 Million Medicare Scam
The Justice Department unsealed criminal indictments against 53 people accused of perpetrating a massive Medicare scam that cost the federal government more than $50 million, according to the Washington Post. Following the indictment, announced by At...
Chicago Man Awarded $21 Million for Wrongful Conviction
Juan Johnson, a man who spent 11 and a half years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, was awarded the largest wrongful conviction award in the history of Chicago, according to WLS-TV. Johnson was convicted of fatally beating a man with a t...
Can Sex Offenders be Imprisoned Indefinitely?
The Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could keep sex offenders in prison for longer periods of time — even after they’ve finished their sentence. The issue of federal “civil commitment” allows the government to avoid releas...
Typo Frees Convicted Drug Offender
An Ohio repeat drug offender has been released from prison after discovering a typo in his jury verdict, according to a recent CNN story. When Calvin Eugene Wells of Akron was convicted for first-degree crack cocaine possession in October, 2005, he w...
RIAA Gets $1.9 Million in File-Sharing Case
Jammie Thomas-Rasset was sentenced by a federal jury to pay the Recording Industry Association of America nearly $2 million for 24 counts of copyright infringement, according to multiple online news outlets. This was the second trial for Thomas-Rasse...
Corrections Head, Rabbi Resign over Prison Bar Mitzvah
Prison is no party. Not unless you know the right people, that is. in New York City, the Bureau Chief of Department of Corrections Facility Operations and the chaplain of the Manhattan Detention Complex have resigned after helping a prisoner arrange ...
Utah: Victims Cannot Appeal Plea Bargains
Utah’s highest court ruled that crime victims cannot appeal a plea bargain reached in a criminal case, upholding the constitutional rights of defendants throughout the state. According to an article by the Salt Lake Tribune, the state Supreme C...
Texas Governor Can’t Pardon Dead Man
The family of a wrongfully convicted man who died in prison are urging Texas Gov. Rick Perry to issue a pardon, even though Perry says his hands are tied. Timothy Cole was convicted of rape in 1985 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died in 1999...
Hijacker Just Needed Ride to Court
A Georgia man who allegedly hijacked a car to get to his court date was arrested after the victim, his girlfriend, called the cops on him. Marcus Brown of Lawrenceville, Ga., hijacked his girlfriend’s car at gunpoint Tuesday morning because he ...
FTC Shuts Down Net Provider for ‘Criminal’ Content
The Federal Trade Commission shut down a large Internet Service Provider for the first time, alleging that the firm recruits, knowingly hosts, and actively participates in the distribution of spam, child pornography, and other harmful electronic cont...
Four Teens Charged as Adults in Sex Assault Case
Four middle-school teens in Tampa, Fla., are facing charges as adults for the sexual assault of a member of their flag-football team, according to CNN. They are charged with four counts each of sexual battery after using broomsticks and hockey sticks...
McMansion Marijuana Plot Brings Guilty Plea
The ringleader of a complex New Hampshire marijuana growing operation is expected to enter a guilty plea this week, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Van Thi “Michelle” Nguyen will plead guilty to charges of possession with int...
Study: Mental Illness High in Prisons
Inmates in state and federal prisons are six times as likely to suffer from mental illness as the general population, according to a report by the Consensus Project. The study, which looked at those with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe dep...
FBI: Violent Crime Down Nationwide, Up in Small Towns
The FBI’s preliminary report on crime statistics for 2008 show an overall decrease in violent crime, but an increase for cities of 10,000 or less. In small cities, according to the report, murders increased by 5.5%, forcible rape by 1.4%, and r...
Phil Spector Sentenced for Murder
Famed music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison today, according to Reuters. Spector was found guilty April 13 of second degree murder in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson. Doron Weinberg, Spector’s criminal ...
District Judge: Felony Suspects Must Submit DNA
A U.S. District Court judge ruled that mandatory DNA collection for all felony suspects is constitutional, dealing a major blow to civil rights advocates and criminal defense attorneys. Judge Gregory J. Hallows on Thursday upheld the 2006 DNA Fingerp...
Montana Town wants Gitmo Detainees
The town of Hardin, Mont., wants to fill its new $27 million prison and provide jobs for its 3,400 residents. Its proposed solution: take on the prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. President Obama announced the closing of the controversial detention cente...
