ACLU Sues to Block Cash Bail Expansion
Opponents Sue to Block Cash Bail Expansion A law adding some thirty offenses, including eighteen misdemeanors, to the cash bail-only list is clearly unconstitutional and grossly unfair, according to court documents. The new laws also limit bail fund groups to assisting with bail for no more than three individuals per year. “This is a part […]
Jail Release and DUI: A Closer Look
When it comes to DUI enforcement, peace officers are currently in catch-up mode. When football teams fall behind and must play catch-up, they play much more aggressively. They pass more on offense and blitz more on defense. Peace officers are in catch-up mode because the number of DUIs surged during and immediately after coronavirus lockdowns. […]
How Jail Release Energizes a Criminal Defense
The jailhouse blues are real, and they affect legal defenses and mental health. 20 percent of county jail inmates have a serious mental illness. Incarceration itself substantially or partially causes these mental illnesses. Confinement causes the body to produce catecholamines, the “fight or flight” stress hormone. Neither is an option in jail. Since defendants cannot […]
Defending Assault Cases in Marietta GA
Beginning in the early 1990s, the aggravated assault arrest rate began dropping nationwide. Then, the arrest rate leveled off in the early 2010s. Coronavirus lockdowns in 2020 accelerated a trend of rising assault arrest rates in Marietta, GA. Lots of people felt lots of pressure in 2020, and normal outlets, like the corner bar, were […]
Cash Bail Measure Fails
Lawmakers couldn’t agree on a compromise measure to expand cash bail, and the legislative session expired with the matter still up in the air. The Georgia House voted 95-81 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 63, which would have required cash or property bail for 31 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors. But the House and […]
Politician Urges FBI to Crack Down on Violent Crimes
Under pressure from U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, FBI Director Christopher Wray promised to focus on several different areas and stem the violent crime uptick in Georgia. Initially, Director Wray highlighted “traditional drivers” such as drugs, weapons, and gangs. He also expressed concern about an “alarming uptick” in violent juvenile crimes. Many at-risk children didn’t go […]
Rising Crime Motivates and Divides Atlanta-Area Voters
Historic violent crime levels are prompting citizens to go to the polls in 2022. Although everyone agrees there’s a problem, not everyone agrees on a solution. For the last three years, violent crime across Georgia has been on the rise. In the state’s largest city and capital, the murder rate has continued to increase and […]
New Jail Release Options in Cobb County
Comprehensive bail reform is sweeping through the country. These reinvent-the-wheel reforms have had mixed results. However, comprehensive bail reform hasn’t happened in Georgia, and it probably won’t happen. The Peachtree State has one of the lowest unsentenced inmate percentages in the nation. So, while lawmakers have embraced some tweaks, there’s a very strong “if it […]
Your Get-Out-Of-Jail (Almost) Free Card in Cobb County
In Monopoly, the coveted get-out-of-jail free card is almost as valuable as the paper money and the plastic hotels. No one likes to go to jail, in a board game or in real life. Additionally, many advocates have focused on this area in recent years. Georgia has one of the highest populations of unsentenced inmates […]
Jail Release Basics in Cobb County
In 2017, Georgia had one of the highest percentages of unsentenced jail inmates in the country. Almost half of county prisoners were simply waiting for their day in court. This figure is a bit deceptive, because inmates who were on their way out the door were counted as “unsentenced” like everyone else. Nevertheless, reports like […]
