Blog

We have previously discussed that one of the primary aims of the American criminal justice system is to hold criminal offenders appropriately accountable for their actions. Tragically, decades of mandatory minimum sentencing laws and other “tough on crime” approaches have produced punishments that are often grossly disproportionate to the criminal...

Being convicted of any criminal wrongdoing can affect your life in a myriad of ways. But being convicted of domestic violence charges can uniquely impact your access to your children, your right to legally carry weapons and even your ability to remain in your own home. For these and a...

Law enforcement conducted yet another undercover child-sex sting operation in Osceola County.  The obvious hope is to arrest would be child molesters and abusers.  The people who were caught up the sting will most likely be arrested for charges of traveling to meet a minor or solicitation of a minor. Let's...

In the criminal law, it is usually necessary for prosecutors to prove that a defendant had a certain mental state. Law students learn a term for this: "mens rea." This is a Latin phrase referring to the mental element of an offense. Consider, for example, the crime of tax fraud....

Law enforcement officers must work under certain constraints. They may not arrest whom they please, search buildings that they please or even pull over whom they please without adhering to certain guidelines. These guidelines are constructed to help ensure that Americans’ civil liberties are respected. As a result, if law...