A series of “milestone” criminal law bills have passed the Michigan legislature, potentially signaling a significant shift in the way the state treats minor offenders.According to the Detroit Free Press, the package of 20 bills would make several changes...
As controversial as drinking and driving is, sometimes there are news stories about OWI that are amusing -- at least, to those of us not facing the charges.WXIN-TV is reporting that a Michigan county commissioner was arrested back in December on suspicion of drinking...
Mental illness is a serious health problem in the United States, and Michigan is no exception. Millions of Americans are living with mental illness, and the vast majority of them pose no more of a danger to others than the rest of the public.However, sometimes a...
Drug laws in regards to marijuana are currently in a sort of limbo in the United States. A growing number of states, including Colorado, Washington and California, have legalized marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. More states have legalized marijuana for...
The Sixth Amendment guarantees each of us access to a defense attorney if we are ever arrested or charged with a crime. Then in 1963, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision found that this vital right holds true for everyone regardless of ability to pay.This gave rise...
These days, it seems like everything we do is being videotaped. Between the increase in security cameras on the streets and the smartphones in people’s pockets, there are few public and semi-public places in Michigan where you are not being filmed, or at least...
The criminal justice system in Michigan grants people charged with a crime the presumption of innocence. The burden is on prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.This standard of proof is intended to keep people from going to jail...