Are you aware that some jails and courts are using computer programs to predict whether someone is at risk for missing court, committing a future crime or not completing probation or parole? There are multiple programs in courts across the country that use these risk assessments when determining bond or bail amounts, conditions of probation and sentencing. In Coral Springs,…
An officer with the Internal Revenue Service knocked on a door in Fort Lauderdale and soon found he was looking down the business end of a shotgun. The man allegedly holding the weapon, 61, screamed at the IRS officer to get off his property. While the IRS didn’t explain why one of their workers wanted to talk to the man…
Back in January, our blog reported on a historic decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Hurst v. Florida, a case examining the constitutionality of the state’s death sentencing system. Specifically, the case revolved around how state law then-provided that juries in capital murder cases had to recommend either a sentence of life in prison without the…
Homicides in Florida are prosecuted as manslaughters and murders. Obviously, these are incredibly serious crimes, with penalties ranging from extensive prison sentences to death. First-degree and second-degree murder differ on a couple of elements. First, for first-degree murder must involve premeditation and participation in the act. For second-degree murder, a person must have acted with a “depraved mind” and without…
Criminal charges for assault can be filed even in the absence of any physical contact between two people. This is an aspect of Florida state law that leaves some defendants feeling confused or disconcerted. Assault, aggravated assault and even assault with a deadly weapon are sometimes determined not by a person’s action but by his or her words or perceived…
The Supreme Court of the United States handed down a historic decision yesterday in Hurst v. Florida, a case that has already created major shockwaves in our state’s criminal justice system, calling into question the fate of nearly 390 men and women currently sitting on death row. Here, the underlying issue in Hurst was whether Florida’s death sentencing system is…
Chances are good that you’ve heard of predictive analytics, meaning the extraction of information from existing data pools as a means of identifying patterns, and forecasting certain outcomes or movements. Chances are also good that you’ve heard of predictive analytics being used to help law enforcement officials identify areas where they think crimes are most likely to occur, such that…
If asked to identify those states with the most draconian criminal laws, meaning those that are the most severe in terms of punishment, there is a very good chance most people would list places like Texas, California and, of course, Florida. While this may cause seem like an unfair characterization to some, those who have actually been arrested, charged and…
Right now, college students across Florida are heading back to their dorm rooms, apartments and campus houses for the start of the fall semester. It goes without saying that the majority of these college students will be hitting the books, but it also goes without saying that many will be hitting the streets to head to area hotspots, including bars…
