If you have been arrested and charged with a crime such as drug possession, vandalism, or DUI, it can be a worry-filled experience; especially if you have never been arrested before. You may be filled with questions about how you are going to defend yourself from the charges against you. You may also be wondering about how to go about finding an experienced lawyer to represent you in that defense. So like many people in this digital age, you turn to the internet. But there are still many factors that you should consider when meeting with and making the decision to hire criminal defense representation: (more…)
A Monroe Township man is heading to jail for violating New Jersey’s recently stiffened repeat offender DUI law. Robert Fredericks of Monroe Township, NJ plead guilty to driving with a suspended license. His license had been suspended in 2009 following his fourth DWI conviction. The new law mandates that drivers convicted of a repeat offense face a minimum of 180 days in jail and up to a $10,000 fine. As of July, 2012, another law was passed affecting drivers convicted of repeat DUI offenses in a shorter period of time, 60 days from each other, who can now face 18 months in jail. (more…)
Last week, the Cumberland County Dept. of Corrections held a press conference to tout the success of its program for releasing rehabilitated inmates back into the public. The program is called the ‘Last Chance Recidivism Reduction Program”. If that title sounds overly technical, it refers to a Cumberland County program which was set up to reduce the rate at which individuals who have served their sentences and have been released from relapsing into repeat offending or homelessness. The program helps certain inmates with the transition back into society through health, economic, and social services. These services include education, counseling, and being assigned a case worker. (more…)
Beginning today, police across New Jersey will be increasing patrols and roadside stops in an effort to target drunk drivers. More than $750k is being released by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety to police departments across the state as part of the State’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Program”. That program runs between today, Friday. August 17, and Monday, September 3. The nationwide program was launched in 1999, and annually falls within the final weeks of summer. The program also utilizes educational tools such as billboards and displays to help combat drunk driving. There is also an awareness initiative for the state’s #77 program, which allows drivers to dial the number to report aggressive or impaired drivers on the road. (more…)
A new bill was introduced Thursday to the New Jersey Assembly on Law and Public Safety that would impose stiffer penalties on repeat DUI offenders. Under the proposed bill, an individual who is convicted two times (or more) of driving under the influence within a 60 day period would automatically be guilty of a fourth-degree crime punishable by fines up to $10,000 and 18 months in jail. The bill also would mandate the suspension of the individual’s drivers license and allows Judges to impose bail on repeat offenders up to a level of $10,000. This is significant because Courts aren’t usually allowed to place bail for fourth degree crimes higher than $2,500. (more…)
