Do you really know what a jury trial is about?
Unless you were chosen to serve as a juror, most people don’t know what jury trials are really about.  Sure, court room dramas are nice, but movies seldom explain the process.  Here are a few points about one of your most important consitutional rights.   The number of jurors: Depending on what court you are being tried, the number of jurors will vary.  The district court requires a unanimous decision by 6 jurors.  The superior court requires a unanimous decision by 12 jurors.  In short, the superior court requires twice as many jurors to return a verdict.  One reason for this difference is that the penalties are much more severe in superior court.  The stake

Global Positioning System (GPS) and the criminal justice system
Ten to fifteen years ago, GPS was pretty much an unknown to the public.  Now GPS technology is used in cars for directions, cell phones to find the closest café and in the criminal justice system.  It is more common today to see GPS monitoring as part of a person’s criminal disposition.  Many times attorneys will use it as a last bargaining chip to keep their clients out of committed time.  This post is not to consider the pros and cons of the GPS monitoring, but to dissect what the GPS is really all about.  If you are pleading out to a charge that requires you to be monitored by GPS what does that really mean?  Well first, the purpose of the GPS is to t

Passing a bad check could land you in cuffs
We write checks all the time. Most people will at least write one check a month. Thankfully for debit cards you are less likely to see someone pull out a check book at a store. However, writing checks is still a big part of paying bills for most people. Passing a bad check, could land you in jail. If you write a check and there are insufficient funds in your checking account, you could be charged with larceny by check. Essentially, the prosecution needs to prove that: • you wrote the check • got something in return for writing that check • knew that you didn’t have enough funds in your account • wrote the check with the intent to d

Threats on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other social media outlets
Social medial has taken over. Now almost everyone is on these sites. Even professionals are getting involved. Doctors, lawyers, movie stars, sport athletes, the list goes on and on. For the first time, people are connected at all times. And it should be no surprise to anyone that when people are so connected, issues are bound to arise. The issue with Facebook and Myspace is that you can post messages on each other’s pages. Depending on the user, these messages can be viewed by only certain people, or by the public. One of the major problems is when people start posting horrible messages to one another. So the real question is when can these messages be qualifie

Bench warrants-Effects, removing one and taking care of it before you get arrested
 There are many reasons why you may have a bench warrant out for your arrest. The most common reason is that you failed to show up in court for a scheduled hearing. The court can also issue a warrant for other reasons, for example, failing to pay a court fine. If a bench warrant is issued, it poses several issues for you. First, if you are ever stopped by police, you can be arrested. After you are arrested, you will usually be brought into court the next day. Unfortunately, if you are arrested on a Friday night, the earliest you will be brought into court is the following Monday. There are also other potential issues about having a warrant on your record. The re