When you call the police to report a crime, the thought probably doesn’t even cross your mind that you will be the one arrested and jailed. But that’s exactly what happened to Teresa Culpepper on August 21. [Read more…]
Georgia’s Probationers to Pick Vegetables, Help Farmers and Selves
A new program is taking shape in Georgia, one that will reportedly help farmer’s while giving ex-inmates and probationers a chance to develop job skills and earn money. But the plan isn’t without its problems. While the Governor is hoping to tweak the plan to make it a win-win, others have doubts. [Read more…]
Georgia Jails “Warehousing” Mentally Ill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a special report this week called “Hidden Shame”, where they look at the presence of mentally ill people within the criminal justice system. Decades ago, people with mental health issues and little support could turn to state run hospitals for assistance with things like medication and even basic needs like a place to sleep and food. Now, those hospitals have all but disappeared and their patients have nowhere to go. [Read more…]
Criminal Sentences of 100+ Years Getting More Common
Georgia judges and those around the country are taking part in a new trend. The trend involves sending convicted criminals to prison for sentences they can’t possibly serve. An article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution suggests the sentences are an effort by judges to show others, including the parole board, that these inmates are “off limits” for early release. [Read more…]
Former Judge’s Criminal Defense May Open Door to Appeals
A few weeks ago we reported on the sentencing of a former federal judge, adjudicated for buying drugs with his stripper-girlfriend, negotiating the purchase with weapons in the vehicle, and giving her a state purchased laptop. Part of his plea for leniency included the effects of a years-old motorcycle accident, an accident that resulted in brain damage and reportedly a subsequent lack of impulse control. It was unclear at the time when the judge was mounting his own defense if he knew this defense would open the floodgates for offenders he had sentenced from the bench. [Read more…]
Search and Seizure In GA Drug Case Questioned
Under the United States’ Constitution, we are protected against illegal searches and seizures. Because of this protection police can’t just walk up to someone and search them for no reason. If the search isn’t justified the evidence found during the search isn’t likely to be admissible in court.
The legitimacy of a search is often questioned during criminal trials. If the defense attorney can show the search was illegal, the evidence against a defendant can be thrown out and the charges potentially dropped. [Read more…]