Earlier this year, Denver began to enforce its ban on urban public camping. This began with mass sweeps of the homeless camping sites near the shelter downtown and has continued with other group camping locations. The idea behind the sweep was to clean up the streets and encourage the homeless into shelters. However, there was […]
Category Archives: Criminal Defense
When you find yourself caught up in the criminal justice system issues emerge that you never had to consider before. One of those issues is the question of voting. Felony Disenfranchisement Felony disenfranchisement is a term that describes how individuals who have a felony charge or conviction on their record find themselves shut out of […]
Why Reform is Necessary The painful truth about fees and fines in the United States court system is that they are increasingly used to create revenue on the backs of the very poor. Once a person is in the system, even for a minor issue like a municipal violation, the fines can grow exponentially if […]
Last month a federal magistrate judge in California ordered Apple to bypass the security protocols on an iPhone 5 that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters. This public order ushered in what has become a national spectacle, pitting the FBI and many Americans against Apple and Privacy proponents. Apple has been steadfast in […]
Even if you have done nothing wrong, everyone feels a little nervous around the police. Police are armed and have a great deal of authority. But if you are stopped by an officer, whether face to face, in your car or at your home, then you need to be prepared for that exchange. More importantly, you […]
Today the United States is home to about 5% of the world’s population yet we house a whopping 25% of the world’s prisoners. To say we are overcrowded and the system is overtaxed is grossly understating the situation. Moreover, a good majority of prisoners are dealing with addiction issues that go untreated. By addressing these […]
On January 6, the NAACP and The National Bar Association filed a brief in support of Judge Olu A. Stevens’ practices in relation to jury selection. Judge Stevens has dismissed two all-white juries in cases of black defendants because he did not feel they accurately represented the make-up of the defendant or the community. In response, the […]
The sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby have focused attention on statutes of limitations for cases involving rape, and whether or not they should exist at all. Statutes of Limitations are written laws that restrict the maximum time after an incident that criminal charges may be initiated. This applies only to bringing charges; once a defendant has […]
A new bill has been introduced to end forfeiture funding of the DEA’s Marijuana Suppression programs. The bill is a bipartisan effort to modify was has become a widely abused system of asset forfeiture from innocent citizens, who in many cases have not even been charged with any crimes. What is Asset Forfeiture? According to the Department […]
The short answer at this point is no. While an initiative was introduced earlier this year to permit public smoking in certain areas, activists just announced they are pulling the initiative from the ballot and seeking a more collaborative effort between themselves and local businesses in Denver. The initiative was called the Limited Social Cannabis […]