If you participate in sports or recreation (hunting, fishing, shooting, hiking, camping, cycling, boating, diving), or you have a tool-oriented profession (contractor, plumber, electrician, miner); you probably own knives and carry knives. However, it’s very easy to stray into criminality when carrying some knives. Most people who violate the law with a knife don’t even…
First Wave of Criminal Justice Reforms Going Into Effect March 24, 2021
Approved criminal justice reforms begin March 24, 2021 in Michigan. The first wave of changes affects non-serious misdemeanor sentences, intermediate sanctions for felonies, and HYTA. Many of the changes are showcasing a shift in focus from incarceration to non-jail sentencing. Amended MCL 769.5 creates a rebuttable presumption against jail or probation for non-serious misdemeanors. While…
Public Defenders in the news.
Watch Chief Public Defender Patrick Crowley on WNMU’s Ask The Lawyers Criminal Law Special.
Criminal Law special edition of Ask The Lawyers
Be sure to tune in to Ask The Lawyers on WNMU-TV on Thursday January 16, 2020 for a special criminal law edition of the program. Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese and Chief Public Defender Patrick Crowley will once again answer your criminal law questions from 8:00 – 9:00pm. If you are interested in watching the previous…
SCOTUS says Homelessness is not a crime! (Kind of.)
Today the United States Supreme Court refused to take up an appeal from the city of Boise Idaho on a statute that made it a crime to sleep on city sidewalks. The Ninth Circuit Court had ruled that prosecuting homeless individuals under the statute violated the eighth amendment of the US Constitution because their situation…
Created to improve Criminal Defense for those who cannot afford to hire counsel.
The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) was created by legislation in 2013 after an advisory commission recommended improvements to the state’s legal system. The MIDC works to ensure the state’s public defense system is fair, cost-effective, and constitutional while simultaneously protecting public safety and accountability. In order to fulfill this effort, the MIDC has created four…
