Alleged COVID Fraudsters Headed to Federal Prison
Two Georgia siblings, who allegedly field fraudulent COVID unemployment benefits and PPP loan applications, will spend the next twenty-one months in federal prison. “Programs that provided unemployment benefits and disaster relief served as a lifeline to small businesses during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The defendants’ greed-fueled scheme targeted both programs, and they’re now […]
Five Things You Might Not Know About Domestic Battery in Georgia
Most likely, you know at least one domestic battery victim. About one in seven women have sustained a physical injury at the hands of a romantic partner. These statistics are largely self-reported, so they may be a bit inflated. Even taking that into consideration, domestic battery is a serious problem. A domestic battery arrest usually […]
Post-Conviction Matters in Georgia
Judges sentence most defendants to probation. Nationwide, about three million people are under court supervision (probation or parole). The prison population is under two million. Usually, court supervision includes restrictive conditions. Additionally, Georgia law doesn’t cap the length of probation. Therefore, court supervision terms in the Peach State are much longer than the terms in […]
The Five Kinds of Probation in Georgia
Probation began as a community-driven project in Boston in the 1830s. Local philanthropists often convinced judges to place incarcerated defendants in their custody, so these people could be rehabilitated. This program worked so well that the government took it over. Probation was statewide in Massachusetts by about 1880. In 1925, after over two dozen failed […]
Post-Conviction Matters in Cobb County
Judges must ensure that defendants know the direct consequences of a criminal conviction, such as the maximum incarceration period and fine. But they don’t need to warn defendants about, and probably don’t care about, the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction. According to one major study, these consequences include “accessing employment, business and occupational licensing, […]
Post-Conviction Relief in Georgia: A Closer Look
The game doesn’t always end when the final horn blows. In 2011, because of massive rules violations, the NCAA stripped USC of its 2004 BCS national title. Standout tailback Reggie Bush also relinquished his Heisman trophy after the NCAA threatened to take it back. Allegedly, a sports company gave Bush and his family over $280,000 […]
Defending the Five Most Common Probation Violations in Cobb County
Almost all defendants get probation in Georgia. The Peachtree State has the highest misdemeanor and felony probation population in the country. Nationwide, one in fifty people are under community supervision. In Georgia, that ratio is one in twenty-five people. All of these people break at least one rule at least once. That’s especially true since […]
Some Probation things to Know in Cobb County
Since 2007, the probation population has leveled off slightly in Georgia. More troubling, however, is the rise of punitive surveillance. Essentially, for many probationers, personal information is no longer personal. Instead, the county tracks probationers’ location, biometric, and other meta-data. The law imposes almost no restrictions on this activity. Worse yet, many counties contract these […]
Top Five Probation Violations in Cobb County
Mostly for financial reasons, almost all convicted defendants in Cobb County receive probation. Even violent and/or repeat offenders usually get suspended sentences. The fees and other money that probationers pay do not make the probation department self-sufficient. However, these funds at least offset the enormous expense of operating these agencies. Jails and prisons are simply […]
Getting Ready to Deal with Probation Conditions in Cobb County
In Georgia and most other jurisdictions, almost all offenders, including most violent, repeat offenders, receive probation. The reason is mostly economic. Georgia spends almost a billion dollars a year maintaining its prisons. The probation (community supervision) system, on the other hand, is at least partially self-sufficient. Supervision fees, court costs, and other probation fees make […]
