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 […]
A Complete Guide to Domestic Battery in Cobb County
For defendants, a domestic disturbance call usually begins a downward spiral that begins with a Section 16-5-23 charge and often seems endless. Life moves so fast that a mandatory 24-hour jail hold, which applies in most cases, often has severe social, vocational, and other consequences. Unfortunately for defendants, that’s just the beginning. Almost as soon […]
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 […]
GA Murder Suspect Unable to Post $100k Bond
A Georgia woman accused of conspiring with two individuals to kill her husband is unable to post a $100,000 bond and remains in jail, according to her lawyer. Her two alleged accomplices were released on $20,000 bail. The 36-year-old Thomasville woman is accused of unsuccessfully conspiring with the two Bahamas natives to kill her husband […]
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 […]
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 […]
Five Ways to Reduce the Consequences of Criminal Cases
The ultimate goal of a criminal defense is a not-guilty verdict at trial. This outcome completely vindicates the defendant. But less than 5 percent of criminal cases go to trial in Cobb County. Plea bargains, or out-of-court settlements, resolve nearly all the rest. Frequently, these plea bargains mean reduced direct or collateral consequences. If a […]
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 […]