The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that police can lie to suspects when attempting to glean the truth about potential criminal activity. Ohio law enforcement officers commonly use deception to get at the truth when dealing with adult suspects or interviewees. The...
Criminal Defense
Ohio involuntary manslaughter laws
Ohio residents face involuntary manslaughter charges when they are accused of unintentionally taking the life of another person or an unborn child while attempting to commit another crime. If prosecutors study the facts of the case and determine that the suspect acted...
Is parole in Ohio difficult for older inmates?
Some crimes are so severe that convictions lead to lengthy prison terms. Someone serving a 40-year sentence likely realizes parole won't come early or easy. Older inmates who received prison sentences before 1996 may feel the Ohio Parole Board's standards for...
Do constitutional rights outweigh patient confidentiality?
Every American's constitutional rights are critical, but patient confidentiality is important as well. Therapist-patient confidentiality gives a person the right to keep their records private. Criminal defense teams in Ohio and around the country sometimes have...
False positives raise questions about police dog training
Ohio residents likely know that our canine companions have far more sensitive noses than we do, which is why the military uses dogs to sniff out roadside bombs and law enforcement uses them to find drugs. However, these working dogs are only as effective as their...
Why you might want to seek a plea deal
If you are charged with a crime, it doesn't mean that you will be convicted by a jury. Furthermore, even if you are convicted, there is no guarantee that you'll be sentenced to the harshest possible penalties associated with a given charge. This is because an Ohio...
OVI penalties in Ohio
All states try to curb drunk driving with stiff penalties, though they may call it something different. Many states refer to driving under the influence as DUI, but the state of Ohio refers to it as OVI, or operating a vehicle under the influence. A driver in...
A prime student challenge: Does your child face a criminal charge?
So your son or daughter has graduated from high school and is now embarked on a journey sparked by hope and great future upsides. Such is the reality for many families across southwestern Ohio, an enclave where exciting educational opportunities exist for legions of...
The reasons why drug charges may be dropped
Tens of thousands of Ohio residents are charged with drug offenses each year, but not all of them are prosecuted. Narcotics cases are, sometimes, dropped because police officers or prosecutors realized that mistakes were made and the individual taken into custody was...
Activists cite racial disparity as cause of unequal justice
Residents of Springboro and other areas of Ohio might be interested in learning about the racial disparity that exists in the courts as cited by activists. With most prosecutors and judges being white, people of color are being negatively impacted in outcomes within...