You get probation for committing a crime. Let’s say it’s a drug offense. A year later, you’ve been doing a really good job staying clean. Then, you just can’t stand it anymore and you get high. You try to cover up your tracks. But, you mess up. Your Probation Officer...
If you’re charged with a crime, what kinds of rights does the victim have? What can they do to you? How can they affect you and the outcome of your case? Take a look, first starting at the Federal level. The victims’ rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s greatly...
The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are non-binding rules that outline how defendants should be sentenced for their crimes. “Non-binding” means judges are required to calculate and consider the guidelines when sentencing. However the guidelines are not mandatory. And...
Let’s say you get charged with a serious crime. For example, maybe it’s First Degree Murder. If convicted, you could receive life in prison. The prosecution decides it’s willing to offer you a plea bargain of 50 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea. You don’t...
When you hear the words “deferred adjudication probation,” your ears should immediately perk up. In simple layman’s terms, it means you get a second chance to avoid a final conviction, provided you comply with the terms of the probation. Literally, instead of finding...
Say you decide to smuggle drugs across state lines. You’re caught in the process. Can the State of Texas and federal government both put you on their own trial and give you separate sentences? Doesn’t seem fair at first does it? After all, you only committed one...
