As a veteran criminal defense attorney in New Jersey, It is probably the most frequently asked question I get asked, and it is usually the first thing clients say when they sit down for a consult. “When I got arrested, the cop didn’t read me my rights, don’t they have to dismiss the charge”? The short and simple answer, is no. The longer and slightly more complex answer, is maybe. Miranda rights are some of the most important rights a criminal defendant has, so it is important to know them. So important, in fact, that Supreme Court of the United States has said in the landmark case of Miranda v. Arizona, that a defendant who is under arrest and is going to be interrogated must be informed of these rights before any questioning can begin. So, what does that mean, what are Miranda rights, and what happens when a defendant isn’t read his rights?
Continue reading “Help! I Just Got Arrested in New Jersey, and the Cops Didn’t Read Me My Rights!”New Jersey’s Heroin Epidemic
If you have been paying attention, you have become aware of a very serious problem in New Jersey. Heroin… Authorities are calling the problem an epidemic, with record rates of addiction, overdose, and purity of the drug. A report by the Task Force on Heroin and Other Opiate Use by New Jersey Youth and Young Adults has identified heroin and opiate abuse as the number one healthcare crisis in the state. According to the DEA, the purity hovers around 58%, a 12% increase from 2011. See more DEA analysis, here. The drug is being trafficked from South America and is arriving in ports in the United States in Newark, Elizabeth, and Philadelphia. In 2012, there were 557 heroin deaths from overdose, which does not even include the untold number of deaths that are always a part of the drug trade. Certain counties seem to be getting hit harder than others; Ocean County and Monmouth County in particular, but with its high purity, easy availability, and cheap price (a bag of quality heroin can be purchased on the street for 5 dollars) it is not hard to see why the drug has made its way across the entire state. As a veteran criminal defense attorney who has represented countless clients charged with indictable drug offenses over the years, it is easy for me see that the number of heroin arrests has trended dramatically upward. It is driving otherwise good people, adults and kids alike, into committing crimes, thefts and burglaries, to support the addiction.
Continue reading “New Jersey’s Heroin Epidemic”New Jersey’s Gun Control Laws, The Second Amendment, and Shaneen Allen…
As a veteran New Jersey criminal defense attorney, I have frequently represented clients charged with gun crimes in the Garden State. In New Jersey, the laws designed to regulate the sale, purchase, and ownership of guns are so complicated and restrictive, that even otherwise law-abiding citizens can accidentally break the law. Twenty-seven year old, Philadelphia single mother of two, Shaneen Allen found this out the hard way when she was pulled over on the Atlantic City Expressway In October of 2013…
Continue reading “New Jersey’s Gun Control Laws, The Second Amendment, and Shaneen Allen…”