http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current Newsen-us2013-05-24T14:10:48.823875-05:00http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22725/24/2013 12:00:00 AMDescribing what it called a "damning indictment" of representation for poor criminal defendants, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the Miami-Dade County public defender’s office could withdraw from a large chunk of felony cases because of excessive workloads.  This decision lifts the spirits of attorneys everywhere who, due to crippling caseloads, have been confronted with the difficult decision of picking and choosing which client gets legally competent and diligent representation and which do not, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos J.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22715/24/2013 12:00:00 AMAUSTIN — A bill to require Texas prosecutors to undergo training to ensure evidence is not withheld in most felony and misdemeanor criminal cases is on its way to Gov. Rick Perry's desk.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22705/24/2013 12:00:00 AMAn Arizona judge declared a mistrial in the penalty phase of the Jodi Arias trial Thursday after a deadlocked jury said it couldn't decide whether to sentence her to death for the murder of her ex-boyfriend.  That means a new jury will be chosen, but the first-degree murder conviction still stands.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22695/23/2013 12:00:00 AMCOLUMBUS—State Rep. Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) announced Wednesday that the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 90, which establishes harsher penalties for owners, managers or employees of kennels and rescue shelters who commit animal cruelty.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22685/23/2013 12:00:00 AMCOLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill being proposed by two Ohio lawmakers would remove the 20-year statute of limitations for prosecuting rape and sexual battery cases.  Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said he supports the measure, which would allow cases to be filed against defendants 20 years or more after the alleged crime.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22675/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAs sex trafficking has garnered newfound attention, Tennessee has developed one of the nation’s most comprehensive anti-trafficking programs.  An additional 12 new laws approved by lawmakers this year include harsher criminal penalties on traffickers, an extended window of time for prosecutors to bring charges and the creation of a state trafficking task force to study and respond to the issue.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22665/22/2013 12:00:00 AMBLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University Police Academy has been training officers for the challenges that await them on the streets for years.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22655/22/2013 12:00:00 AMPORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - For decades, crimes on cruise ships that were not serious enough for federal authorities to investigate and prosecute often fell between the cracks of jurisdictional divides.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22645/22/2013 12:00:00 AMOregon district attorneys Tuesday urged the state to reduce penalties for marijuana offenses, and presumptive prison sentences for other drug crimes as a way to reduce spending on prison beds while safeguarding sentences for violent and repeat property crime offenders.  Harney County District Attorney Timothy Colahan, president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association, stood with district attorneys from Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Yamhill counties at the Clackamas County District Attorney's office to call for a new approach.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22615/21/2013 12:00:00 AMNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's legislators must do more to strengthen the state's archaic fraud laws if prosecutors are to keep up with the evolving nature of white-collar crime, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said on Monday.  Vance, president of the state's district attorneys association, said New York's financial crime laws were hopelessly outdated, even as their federal equivalents have been frequently revised by congressional legislation in the wake of massive scandals like the savings and loan cases, the Enron Corp collapse and the housing market crisis.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22635/21/2013 12:00:00 AMThe House tentatively approved a bill Monday that would allow Harris County Jail to start a pilot program that officials hope would become a model for reducing mental illness in local lockups across Texas.  Senate Bill 1185, by Sen.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22625/21/2013 12:00:00 AMMONTGOMERY, Ala. (WALA) - Monday was a great day for the animals of Alabama.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22605/20/2013 12:00:00 AMA local family experienced first-hand what can happen in an understaffed district attorney’s office.  On a Wednesday last month, the Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office had enough staff available to cover the county’s six Circuit Court branches and one court commissioner’s office.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22595/20/2013 12:00:00 AMLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — People convicted of crack cocaine offenses have a right to resentencing hearings under a 2010 law that lessened penalties for possession and dealing, the U.S.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22585/17/2013 12:00:00 AMDays after the second sex crime scandal in the last month hit the military, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would take prosecution of sexual assaults in the military out of the chain of command, preventing military commanders from handling the cases of subordinates.  “The issue of sexual violence is not new.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22575/17/2013 12:00:00 AMSan Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis released a new online podcast today featuring information on the DA’s Gangs Division as part of a continuing series of short podcast recordings highlighting public safety topics. In the most recent podcast, Deputy District Attorney Dana Greisen joins DA Dumanis to discuss the uptick in gang-related homicides, how gangs are increasingly using pimping as a source of income, and an update on the number of documented gang members in San Diego County.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22565/17/2013 12:00:00 AMAlthough the recent killings of two prosecutors in Texas are at the forefront, State Senator Ted O'Brien says this legislation was on his agenda well before those murders.  O'Brien was joined by Assemblyman Joe Morelle, a co-sponsor of the bill, and Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley in announcing the proposed legislation.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22555/15/2013 12:00:00 AMPhiladelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell agreed today to serve two life sentences and waive his right to an appeal in order to avoid the possibility of being condemned to death.  Gosnell was convicted of first degree murder on Monday in the deaths of three babies who were born live and then killed by severing their spinal chords with scissors.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22545/15/2013 12:00:00 AMA state House panel Tuesday endorsed the creation of special courts to divert nonviolent offenders with mental health problems into treatment programs instead of prisons.  The Administration of Criminal Justice Committee, without objection, approved Senate Bill 71 sponsored by state Sen.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22535/15/2013 12:00:00 AMSAN BERNARDINO -- If she had ducked a second later, San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Maria Gascon might have been killed by the bullets a suspect fired at her patrol car.  Gascon was on her way to a priority call in Victorville when a vehicle made a sudden stop in the roadway and several radical turns causing her to believe something was wrong.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22515/14/2013 12:00:00 AMTRENTON – Working with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Sen. Christopher J.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22505/14/2013 12:00:00 AMProsecutors in the Puget Sound are cracking down on repeat gun felons.  "If you decide to pack a gun after you've already been convicted of a violent felony, watch out.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22525/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWashington (CNN) -- A decade-old benchmark for determining when a driver is legally intoxicated -- the 0.08 blood-alcohol content rate -- should be lowered to 0.05, reducing the amount a motorist can imbibe before being presumed to be drunk, federal safety officials said Tuesday.  At a meeting in Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that all 50 states lower the threshold to reduce the nation's drunk driving death toll, which has plateaued at about 10,000 deaths a year.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22485/13/2013 12:00:00 AMMINEOLA, N.Y. — It probably happens to most drivers.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22495/13/2013 12:00:00 AMClinton Bamberger lost the most important case of his career, but most legal experts consider that 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision a crucial victory for criminal justice.http://apainc.org/default.aspx?act=newsletter.aspx&category=Current News&newsletterid=22475/13/2013 12:00:00 AMKane County prosecutors want to make sure first-time offenders get the information they need for a possible second chance.  The state's attorney's office recently consolidated all the information about the county's five pretrial diversion programs on its website.