North Carolina Criminal Lawyers

North Carolina is poised to overhaul the probation system in a way that hasn’t been done thus far. One lawmaker calls it “the biggest piece of reform since 1994 restructured sentencing.” The bill could make some extremely progressive changes to how convicted offenders are sentenced and how they fare once released from prison. [read more...]

He’s the first new District Attorney in Mecklenburg County in 36 years and Andrew Murray has a plan to “slow the revolving door” that was sending repeat criminals back on the street. According to the Charlotte Observer, the District Attorney’s office is set to send double the number of habitual offenders to prison this year than last year, about 500. [read more...]

After widely covered NC SBI crime lab shake up in 2010, the state lawmakers are getting around to making some progressive changes. These changes include ensuring the lab isn’t just the long hand of law enforcement, but a true fact finding and scientifically credible body. [read more...]

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, thirteen police agencies within the state will begin a new program next month—one that allows them to scan fingerprints with a hand held device, checking them against a database while out in the field. While supporters state it’s just an additional tool to help cops identify the people they deal with, critics site potential privacy risks. [read more...]

As the laws change and sentencing practices change, so too do the practices of North Carolina probation and parole officers. Major sentencing reform which happened in 1994 is now affecting those men and women being released from prison and therefore the officers tasked with supervising them. Likewise, more prison alternatives are being doled out by judges, leading to more and more people under probation supervision. [read more...]

North Carolina Sheriff’s are asking for unfettered and unprecedented access to patient data in the name of prescription drug law enforcement. While this would certainly make life easier for sheriff’s and police officers looking for patterns in the illegal prescription drug trade, it is a disaster for medical privacy and individuals. [read more...]