The Law Office of Peter Blair

The pandemic has pushed the criminal justice system to reimagine itself a bit, delivering cutting-edge changes that have been lifelines for incarcerated people craving contact with their families. But families of prisoners fear corrections officials will use the technology to replace in-person interactions even after the pandemic ends. https://nbcnews.to/2NqPNPD

Penalties for drug offenses vary - from prison time to no conviction at all. The punishment a defendant receives can depend on many factors, including the charge, the drug in question, and the quantity of drugs. A strong defense from an experienced criminal attorney can help you protect your rights and mitigate the severity of drug penalties.

Most criminal systems in the US divide their crimes into different categories according to the seriousness of the offense. Felonies are the most serious classification of crimes, and may be punishable by prison sentences of a year or longer. A misdemeanor, however, is usually a crime with a jail sentence of a year or less. #CriminalLaw

In prisons around the country, COVID-19 outbreaks have followed transfers of prisoners or prison workers. Many state prison systems had reduced or limited the number of prisoners they moved due to the pandemic, but some lifted those restrictions by September, worrying families of prisoners and correctional officers who work in the prisons. https://bit.ly/3nFV5UC

Police agencies from Hawaii to New York have used drones for years, but mostly in simple, manually flown ways. But the latest drone technology is raising civil liberties concerns, especially as drones gain the power to track vehicles and people automatically. https://nyti.ms/38oMjnv

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether an officer can enter a garage without a warrant when in pursuit of a misdemeanor suspect. https://bit.ly/34npBeV

There are few things as revealing as a person's search history, and police typically need a warrant on a known suspect to demand that sensitive information. But a recently unsealed court document found that investigators can request such data in reverse order by asking Google to disclose everyone who searched a keyword rather than for information on a known suspect. https://cnet.co/3iSOu64

There were 145 offenders released in 2019 about five times more than the year before, when 24 people were granted release, according to a report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. https://cbsn.ws/2GZxrSx

Police dogs bite thousands of Americans each year, including innocent bystanders, police officers, even their own handlers. And there is little oversight, nationally or in the states, of how police departments use them. https://bit.ly/2SwRHgR

Nationwide, jail populations plunged by about 25% between March and June, according to a recent analysis. https://bit.ly/3lode7Z

A person who is formally accused of a crime is generally entitled to certain evidence and information about the prosecution's case. This typically happens before trial, through a process called "discovery." But the prosecution's duty to disclose this material is usually ongoing, and doesn't end when a trial has begun. #CriminalLaw

Police and prosecutor misconduct that distorted evidence or undercut innocence contributed to 54% of false convictions that later resulted in exonerations, according to a report released Tuesday. https://bit.ly/32K5hDv

A growing number of states and localities are exploring new ways to reduce or eliminate reduce or eliminate pretextual or pretext traffic stops. In a pretext stop, an officer pulls over a motorist for a minor traffic or equipment violation and then uses the stop to investigate a more serious crime. https://bit.ly/2Z3FQdO

Police increasingly ask Google and other tech firms for data about who was where, when. Two judges ruled the investigative tool invalid in a Chicago case. https://bit.ly/3lV8kR0

After months of closures, many of the country’s court systems are gradually reopening, having embraced technologies such as Zoom and YouTube to safely hold pleas, sentencings and even Supreme Court hearings. But the jury trial, which most feel can only happen in person, has remained largely stalled. https://wapo.st/3gFdzjR

More prisoners in the United States have died of the coronavirus since March than have been executed since 2001, new data show. https://bit.ly/32GrVeW

The proceeding that appears to be the nation’s first virtual criminal jury trial was underway for just a couple of minutes this week, when a moment occurred that would be familiar to many during the pandemic: a juror’s Zoom video feed froze. Courts across the country have moved some proceedings online, but many judges, defense attorneys and public defenders have been cool to the idea of holding virtual criminal jury trials because of concerns about whether defendants could receive fair trials.

Under normal circumstances, police may enter your home without your permission only if they have a warrant. #CriminalLaw