Before prosecutors can try a case against someone accused of a crime, police need to conduct a complete investigation of the criminal incident. These criminal investigations can be time-consuming, invasive and damaging to anyone accused of a crime. Investigators are often trained to get the most information as possible out of someone, and everything a person says or does during a criminal investigation can be used against them during a trial in an Oregon court.
Technology aids alternative sentencing options
Sentencing options have expanded significantly in recent decades, especially as awareness of effective rehabilitation and deterrence methods grows. Incarceration and probation used to be the primary penalties imposed on those convicted of crimes, and those two options were limited in effectiveness and also very costly. Now, judges are using alternative sentencing options such as mental health or substance abuse treatment and electronic home confinement to impose more tailored sentences on certain offenders.
Oregon's self-defense law similar to "stand your ground" rule
Amid all of the controversy surrounding the Trayvon Martin shooting, some Oregon residents might be wondering what their own state's laws are concerning self-defense. If you feel threatened, do you have the right to use deadly force against another person? Although the recent shooting in Florida has deeply divided some communities with opposing opinions on the topic, the law is all that matters in a criminal defense case.
Southern Oregon man's murder trial delayed for 5 months
The trial of a Medford, Oregon, man accused of killing his girlfriend has been delayed for five months at the request of prosecutors. Under the state's Measure 11 law, the 51-year-old man faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison if he's found guilty of murder.
Recording arrests may not be illegal, but police might object
Imagine you're riding as a passenger in a friend's car and he's pulled over by police. As your friend gets out of the car and is arrested, the officer suddenly turns his attention toward you. That's because you're recording the whole incident on your cellphone.