The Huntington Beach Police Department is cutting $1.5 million from this year’s budget. It will cut $1.1 million budget from next year’s budget? Just how are they able to do that and keep us safe at the same time? The Huntington Beach Police Department in Orange County has already cut…
Articles Posted in Sentencing
Orange County Jails at the Breaking Point
Just two years ago the Orange County criminal inmate population was low enough that Orange County actually closed down a few criminal jail wards. Coincidentally, the State of California decided at that same time, that its prisons were overflowing and it enacted legislation to send a good percentage of state…
Support Letters
Support letters come into play around the time of sentencing. The purpose of support letters is to give the judge a different perspective from that which has been learned from the trial. At this point, the judge has heard the evidence, a judgment has been rendered, and your Irvine criminal…
DUI Accident Results in 7 Year Prison Sentence
An Orange County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 28-year-old male to seven years in prison for a fatal DUI related accident that occurred in early July. The accident occurred at 12:50am on July 17th, 2011 when the male driver, Yannis Ismael Galanis, was driving his GMC pickup at high…
Orange County Labor Day DUI Checkpoint Results
In the last several weeks, Orange County has had more than its share of DUI sobriety checkpoints and DUI roving patrols. While most of these DUI checkpoints are announced prior to their commencement, it is not unusual for the location to be undisclosed or for the announcement to arrive literally…
Jail Credits – No Longer 50%
Family and friends of criminal defendants facing a lengthy incarceration in the Orange County jail have found some relief when told that an inmate is likely to only serve 50% of his sentence, with good time and/or work time credits. Someone sentenced to 180 days in jail would only serve…
Marijuana Now Legal (Or Just Barely Illegal?)
Voters upset at last week’s failure of Proposition 19 (to legalize marijuana) can take heart– in a quiet move shortly before the election state lawmakers decriminalized possession of less than 28.5 grams of marijuana. Senate Bill 1449, effective January 1, 2011, makes possession of marijuana a mere infraction, giving the…
Tougher sentences for sex crimes – Chelsea’s Law
“Chelsea’s Law” was signed into effect on September 9, 2010. Codified as AB1844, the law becomes one of the toughest in the world for sexual offenders. Most punitive perhaps, is its “one strike and you’re out” element or a provision that allows a life sentence without the possibility of parole…
Most Petty Thefts No Longer “Wobble”
A petty theft is the stealing of something under $400. Most shoplifting cases are petty thefts. Consequences for petty theft cases range, but criminal defense lawyers are typically able to get results which include a program and then dismissal or physical labor, community service, fines and probation. Sometimes, however, a…