Guilty and not guilty are the types of pleas that everyone knows, but there are a few other options that you might not know of. New Jersey has conditional pleas and allows for withdrawal of a plea. Guilty You could plead guilty during your initial hearing before your trial. However, the judge doesn’t have to […]
Since 2000, at least 540 people in New Jersey have died during an encounter with the police. Researchers found that 500 of these incidents occurred with officers on duty and 40 happened with off-duty officers. Nationally, estimates indicate that at least 30,000 people have died during encounters with police since 2000. A study from “The […]
Plea deals provide a seemingly valuable benefit to those looking at a difficult trial. Plea arrangement may result in a defendant receiving a far lighter sentence in a New Jersey criminal court. Tragically, not everyone who agrees to a plea bargain is guilty of the crime. Wrongful convictions resulting from plea deals might not be […]
Police officers must do more than enforce the law. They must follow it. Law enforcement officials who engage in abusive behavior could face disciplinary actions and civil and possibly criminal complaints. The public likely realizes that some police officers might engage in unlawful or unconstitutional behavior, but few may realize the scope. In New Jersey […]
Body-cam videos reveal extensive information about a crime that is in progress. A video shows what the suspect was doing at the start of the encounter, how the police officer reacted and what the results were. Although it’s meant to mitigate bad behavior from officers, some individuals decide to view their body-cam videos before writing […]
Often, a defendant will claim that they had to resort to violence in response to a legitimate threat of injury from another person. Additionally, a defendant may claim that they rushed to the defense of another person. Furthermore, perhaps someone trespassed on their property, and the owner believed it was their right to defend it. […]
When any law enforcement agency in New Jersey legally seizes your property as evidence for a suspected crime, they should give it back to you the way they took it after the case is over. However, there are situations where the government can refuse to give you your property back. Read on to learn more […]
A popular topic of conversation of late is qualified immunity and how it impacts police officers. There are many misconceptions about what this actually means and how it can help people who believe that they have had their rights violated by the police. Furthermore, every state, including New Jersey, has different laws surrounding the topic. […]
Once police gain access to your home or your vehicle, whatever they find could help them build a criminal case against you. The more evidence they have, the harder it may be for you to successfully defend yourself against pending criminal charges. Challenging the evidence itself can sometimes be a good defense strategy. Other times, […]
