Tag Archives: Criminal Defense Bergen County
First Step Act Promised To Reform Criminal Justice & Release Those Doing Unfair Time for Drug Crimes
News reports have been dominated by news headlines of the First Step Act, which, if passed by the Senate by the end of December, would make a number of changes to the criminal justice system, including eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for a number of drug crimes, providing funding for rehabilitation programs, and instituting a… Read More »
Spring 2018 New Jersey Legal Update
Below, we discuss some important legal updates that have recently happened, or are coming this spring, for the state of New Jersey: Huge Drop in New Jersey’s Jail Population; Thanks To Bail-Reform According to a recently released report, New Jersey’s cash-bail reforms have successfully improved criminal justice in the state of New Jersey, decreasing… Read More »
Aren’t Debtors’ Prisons Unconstitutional?
An important decision made by a New Orleans Parish Criminal District Court the week of December 15th highlights a problem all over the United States, whereby poor prisoners are charged fees that they are unable to pay in order to fund our courts. This leads to a vicious cycle, whereby indigent defendants are punished… Read More »
Prosecution of Teen Could Broaden Concept of Murder
The recent trial of Michelle Carter has garnered a lot of national attention: the teen is on trial for manslaughter after allegedly sending her boyfriend text messages encouraging him to commit suicide. Carter’s boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, took his own life on July 12, 2014. According to media sources, Roy had long battled both… Read More »
Creato Murder Trial Draws Attention in New Jersey This Week
By now, many people in New Jersey have heard of David Creato Jr., the father accused of killing his three-year-old son, and whose murder trial is now taking place in Camden, New Jersey. Creato’s son’s body was found in October 2015 in a nearby creek. Creato has been accused of murdering the child allegedly… Read More »
New Jersey Legislation Could Legalize Recreational Use of Marijuana
On the week of May 16th, Senator Nicholas Scutari introduced a bill that would allow for the recreational use of marijuana in the state of New Jersey. Not only would the legislation allow for marijuana to be recreationally used, but also grown, sold, and taxed in the state, allowing New Jersey to join the… Read More »
New Jersey Attorney General Announces New Initiative Targeting “Public Corruption,” But Could This Be A Witch Hunt?
New Jersey continues to make the national news headlines this week as, on May 9th, Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced that the state would be offering a $25,000 reward for any tips “to fight corruption.” Porrino referenced former Bloomfield Councilman Elias Chalet in his announcement; Chalet recently pled guilty to bribery and will now… Read More »
How We Define “Criminal”
The New York Times featured an interesting article on May 1 questioning the concept of who is considered to be a criminal, and how the answer to this question often depends upon the political agenda of whoever is in charge in the moment. In sum, the article puts forth the argument that the current… Read More »
Administration Seeks To Curtail Rights for Detainees in Correctional Facilities
Although it’s hard to believe that any given administration would have the ability to significantly change the specific rules and requirements concerning prisoners’ civil rights, in fact, as recently highlighted by the New York Times, many detained immigrants are now worried over what might happen to their basic rights while being held in prison… Read More »
What’s Ahead for The Decriminalization of Marijuana?
When it comes to the legalization and regulation of marijuana, it is important to keep in mind that there is a difference between federal authority to manage recreational vs. medical marijuana insofar as what authority the Justice Department has to enforce federal laws banning the product (i.e. arresting and prosecuting citizens for drug possession)…. Read More »
