South Jersey Premier Trial Firm Blog

Being arrested can affect a person's life long before he or she even has the opportunity to address the allegations. Cash bail played a large role in this problem in the past, but it is no longer a problem for New Jersey residents. The state no longer participates in a cash bail system, which disproportionately affected low-income and disadvantaged communities. Aside from keeping defendants out of jail so they can continue to work, care for their families and focus on criminal defense planning, a recent study showed that there has been another surprising benefit.

With the old system, judges had a significant level of discretion when setting bail, which they only looked at defendants' current charges and past records. Judges now have more than one option, none of which involve keeping people behind bars when they do not have the means to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Using an algorithm that measures defendants' so-called risk factors, a judge may still order that a defendant remain behind bars. However, defendants may also be released either without conditions or with an ankle monitoring system.

Being an immigrant can come with many challenges. You and your loved ones may have come to New Jersey in hopes of finding a fresh start and building your new lives here. Of course, you may not have found many aspects of your journey as easy as you had hoped, and you may now face an even more difficult predicament.

If an officer recently arrested you or a loved one, you may understandably worry about what effects a criminal conviction could have on your or your loved one's immigration status. Unfortunately, the impacts of an arrest and conviction can be far-reaching for individuals who are not American citizens.

Immigrant families in New Jersey and across the country may want to stay updated on a developing story regarding the federal government. More specifically, there may be upcoming changes to U.S. immigration law that include required DNA submission for those being held in detention. Many immigrant advocates have already decried that such a move would invade the privacy of tens of thousands of people.

If implemented, the policy would involve taking cheek swab samples from certain immigrants. The data collected would then be entered into a national database. In 2005, a law was enacted that directed collection of biometric information among people convicted of serious crimes and also undocumented immigrants.

If you are facing criminal charges, especially for a violent or drug-related crime, you certainly hope your day in court will bring about a positive resolution to your case. Whether you are facing charges in federal or New Jersey court, the penalties for a conviction for such crimes can be quite severe. You may be facing the possibility of decades in prison.

Because of the heavy penalties, you may feel a certain urgency about whether you will get a fair trial. It is easy to feel that everyone is against you, but there are certain safeguards to protect your right to a fair trial. However, do you know how to recognize whether you are receiving every advantage the U.S. Constitution provides for those facing criminal charges?