Category Archives: Criminal Law
Can Young Adults Catch A Break In The Criminal Justice System?
The law gives judges a range of possible sentences to hand down for each offense of which a defendant might get convicted. Likewise, if the jury convicts the defendant of several separate offenses that each carry prison time, such as wire fraud and drug possession with intent to deliver, the judge might order the… Read More »
To Prevent LSD Freakouts, Florida Lawmakers Go After Spores
Last summer, two boys from Indian River County, ages 12 and 14, went to the emergency room because they were experiencing psychotic symptoms. The boys had ingested hallucinogenic edibles, sold under the pretense that they contained psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound found in psilocybin mushrooms. When police tested the edibles in the crime lab, though,… Read More »
The Three Ps Of Drug Possession
Peace officers make almost two million drug arrests every year. 80 percent of these arrests are for simple possession. Field officers often believe that, since these arrests are easy to make, the cases are easy to prove in court. But as outlined below, that belief is seriously misguided. Prosecutors must establish three elements, two… Read More »
Man Faces Manslaughter Charges After Elderly Father Dies Of Neglect
Neglect of elderly, infirm people often results in legal investigations, but only in the most severe cases does someone get criminal charges for manslaughter. Providing adequate care for a medically vulnerable person is difficult when you have limited resources, and emotional burnout only makes it worse. This problem can happen in nursing homes or… Read More »
What Are The 3 Standard Field Sobriety Tests?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has approved the three sobriety tests discussed in this post for use in DUI arrests. Officers often administer tests, such as Romberg’s balance test (the head back, eyes closed finger-to-nose test). Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus The DUI eye test accurately determines if the subject has nystagmus. However, police officers… Read More »
How Does Probation Work In Florida?
In a nutshell, probation in Florida is supervised release. Contrary to popular myth, probation is not a “slap on the wrist.” The conditions are so restrictive that being on probation isn’t much different than serving time in jail, except the cell is bigger and unlimited visitors are allowed. Additionally, because the conditions are so… Read More »
Charges Filed In Church Hate Speech Case
Authorities arrested a juvenile, whose age hasn’t been released, for allegedly vandalizing a church with racial slurs as well as other offensive language. Several building signs and structures, including the Jesus is Lord Church on Pineapple Avenue, along with city-owned properties, were defaced with hate speech, racial slurs, and other forms of offensive language… Read More »
Officials Execute Obese Inmate
A 48-year-old man, who weighed over 380 pounds, lost his final appeal and was executed in April 2025. The Florida Supreme Court rejected the man’s claims in a 23-page opinion, deeming his last-ditch effort to avoid the death penalty as “untimely and meritless,” noting that he’s had medical conditions dating back to 2009. Attorneys… Read More »
Jail Release Basics In Palm Beach County
Prompt jail release, which is guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment, may be the most overlooked and most important step in the criminal defense process. Note that “prompt” is a subjective word that means different things in different contexts. Many defendants don’t even have lawyers at the initial jail release stage. Delayed jail release usually… Read More »
Socioeconomic Class And The Outcomes Of Criminal Cases
The real fun in hate watching content about wealthy people lies not in seeing all the things they have that you will never be able to afford, but rather in seeing the things that money cannot buy. Money cannot buy true friendship, and it cannot buy self-acceptance; you have as good a chance of… Read More »