A felony conviction in Iowa is never welcome. Any type of conviction can lead to numerous problems with other aspects of your life, from finding housing to keeping a job, but with a felony conviction, the problems become greater and the solutions more difficult....
Protecting Your Rights Throughout Eastern Iowa Since 1981
Felonies
The cologne gave him away
We often discuss the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment protects the people against unreasonable search and seizure. It does this by demanding that law enforcement obtain a search warrant from a judge prior to allowing a search of a person, their...
A few seconds matter, especially for police officers
Police officers are sworn to uphold the law. Society grants them many special privileges to enable them to carry out their duties. So it is always interesting to observe the manner in which they are charged with crimes and prosecuted. These cases stand out because...
Expungements for dismissed charges are reasonable
A criminal conviction carries a stigma in Iowa and elsewhere throughout this country. While jail and prison sentences are the primary punishment for these convictions, anyone convicted of a criminal charge may wear a virtual scarlet letter that may mark them long...
Deputy in shooting may not have had training
We allow police to carry weapons to enforce the law. Some officers may spend much of their career without having to discharge a weapon while performing their duties, but depending on jurisdiction and whether they work in high-risk areas may influence how often they...
A year in solitary for a Facebook post?
In the criminal justice system, when it comes to punishment, there is typically what is known as the concept of proportionality. We all know that some crimes receive relatively light punishment. A drunk driving conviction may result in some jail time, substance abuse...
The criminal justice system is not interested in your innocence
The one mistake many criminal defendants make is one of believing the criminal justice system will protect an innocent defendant. If you happen to be truly innocent of the crime you have been charged with, the system will probably double down on you, because you may...
A parole officer’s thoughts
If you are convicted of a crime in Iowa or virtually any other American jurisdiction, with some exceptions of particularly violent crimes, it is very likely your sentence of jail time will include some period of parole. Parole is becoming increasingly popular with...
Was your crime infamous?
According to the Iowa Constitution, those convicted of an "infamous" crime can be denied the right to vote. The state has defined that to include all felonies and some misdemeanors. Recently, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the definition of infamous crimes did not...
Are federal judges “anchored” to their sentences?
Federal district judges have a great deal of discretion. The presumption is the that the district judge, who in effect, is the trial judge for the majority of federal criminal cases, is in the best position to evaluate the defendant, the witnesses, the evidence and...