Protecting Your Rights Throughout Eastern Iowa Since 1981
Drug-related sentences have been controversial for much of the last few decades. The war on drugs and disparities in sentencing between powdered cocaine and crack cocaine has led to long and vocal protests. The rising cost of incarceration of the large numbers of drug...
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...
Until recently, few people in Iowa, or anywhere else, were aware of the 1033 Program. That, of course, changed after the events in Ferguson, with the police on display with an mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP) and riot gear that looked like pictures of...
During the 1960s, there was an "alarming" increase in the crime rate in the United States. This was one of the factors behind Richard Nixon's election as a "law and order" president. He also made the first reference to the "War on Drugs" that was part of his crime...
The criminal justice system has to deal with some difficult cases. While ostensibly designed to mete out punishment, protect society from the dangerous and engage in varying degrees of rehabilitation, it is sometimes faced with handling cases where there may be no bad...
Five men in Des Moines have been charged with federal bank fraud. They are accused of "flipping" homes, using short sales to generate a quick profit. This type of transaction is prohibited by the laws governing the banking industry. The alleged fraud involved 18 home...
An Iowa man who did not return from work to the Cherokee Mental Health Institute's Civil Commitment Unit last Sunday was found in Oklahoma and arrested by the U.S. Marshal's Service. The man had been convicted of various sex crimes in 2008 in Wapello County, Iowa. He...
For quite some time now, there has been serious discussion about reforming sentencing guidelines throughout the country. Federal drug sentences, in particular, have been scrutinized. Not long ago, the U.S. Sentencing Commission unanimously voted in favor of expanding...
At times, when a person is facing criminal charges, it may be worth knowing exactly what the specific charges mean. For example, fraud is a very broad way to describe a criminal act, so there are several types of charges that can be brought within this category. Each...
Over the last several years, the nation has been engaged in conversation about how law enforcement treats marijuana. Several states have legalized medical marijuana to varying degrees and two states have even legalized recreational use. This could be viewed as an...
