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Everyone has the right to a trial when accused of a crime. After all, our system of law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
However, when going to trial means facing a sentence five times harsher than taking a plea, defendants might think twice before invoking that right, even if they’re innocent.
I once had a client charged with murder who insisted he didn’t do it. Oscar (pseudonym) was just 16 at the time of the crime. We went to trial and fought long and hard. As deliberations dragged on, the judge sent his law clerk to me with a message if Oscar pleads guilty then and there, he’d convince the prosecutor to reduce the crime to manslaughter and give Oscar 11 years. Oscar, age 20 at the time of the trial, had a hard choice. He might be acquitted after trial, or he could take the 11 years and be done with it.
COVID-19 outbreak infects 29 at Cumberland County Jail
An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Cumberland County Jail has infected 27 incarcerated people and two staff members, the jail said Tuesday.
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An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Cumberland County Jail has infected 27 incarcerated people and two staff members, jail staff said Tuesday.
The outbreak began last week when staff noticed “a couple of inmates” exhibiting symptoms, and rapid tests determined at least one person was COVID-positive, the jail said.
By Friday, four people two incarcerated people and two staffers were positive. Jail healthcare staff and members of the Westbrook Fire Department spent the weekend testing all inmates and staff, and results late Monday night showed the outbreak had spread to 29 people total, the jail said.
Tyler Flood Recognized as Top DWI Lawyer in Houston by Three Best Rated newjerseytelegraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newjerseytelegraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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With Daniel Lippman and Theodoric Meyer The initial 100-to-1 sentencing disparity, which the coalition writes “may have been well-intentioned in 1986” when it was included in a bill crafted by now-President
Tyler Flood Recognized as Top DWI Lawyer in Houston by Three Best Rated theusnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theusnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.