Showing posts with label
attorney; criminal defense attorney; Juvenile; Juvenile Offenses; St. Petersburg; Pinellas County; Tampa; Hillsborough County.
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Showing posts with label
attorney; criminal defense attorney; Juvenile; Juvenile Offenses; St. Petersburg; Pinellas County; Tampa; Hillsborough County.
Show all posts
St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses how Florida underage teens are using candy to covertly consume alcohol.
Issue:
Teenagers, students, and underage individuals throughout Florida have created a new method to ingest alcohol – through the use of gummy candies. These candies, also known as “boozy bears” or “drunk gummies” are gummy bears and gummy worms that have been saturated with alcohol. They look and appear just like regular gummy candies; however, they can be very potent and dangerous.
Teenagers are creating the drunk gummy bears themselves by saturating the gummies in intoxicating liquor, such as vodka or rum. After soaking in the alcohol, the gummies increase in size, but otherwise appear to be regular gummy candies.
Why This Matters To You:
The gummy candies mask the taste and smell of liquor, so many parents or adults don’t realize juveniles are consuming alcohol. Teens can eat several of the laced gummy candies without feeling the effects of alcohol immediately; the effect generally takes about an hour to kick in. This can result in over-consumption of the candies, as teenagers will eat more before becoming aware of the strength of the gummy candies.
Juveniles in Florida are taking the gummy candies everywhere, from school to parties to walking down the street. This can ultimately result in criminal charges for underage alcohol possession or criminal charges for minor in possession of alcohol (MIP). Additionally, any juvenile who eats the gummy candies could be charged with zero tolerance driving under the influence (DUI) if they operate a motor vehicle after they consume any of the candies.
What To Do Next:
If you have been charged with a juvenile DUI or underage alcohol possession in Tampa, contact a St. Petersburg Juveniles Crimes Lawyer to discuss possible defenses and specific strategies that may exist in your case. Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss you case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation. The Morris Law Firm can help. Attorney Melinda Morris has specific knowledge and experience in representing juvenile offenders throughout Pinellas County the entire Tampa Bay, FL area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota and Bradenton).
St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses how Florida Police have begun to actively monitor social networking sites including Facebook.
Issue:
The quintessential image of an undercover police stakeout has been a couple of officers in an unmarked car watching suspects with binoculars while sipping coffee and eating donuts. Today, the officers may still be sipping coffee, but they are doing it at their desks while logged into Facebook and other social networking sites including Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace.
Law enforcement is now targeting gangs and gang members in these modern day online stakeouts. In some cases what someone says or does (in a video) online can land them in jail. Too often juveniles imitating gang culture or what they see in popular media can inadvertently focus law enforcement gang control efforts on them.
Why This Matters To You:
Law enforcement agencies in Florida are targeting social media sites including Facebook , Twitter, and YouTube to identify and monitor gangs and gang members.
At the same time, gang culture has seeped into popular culture infiltrating everything from music to clothing. Juveniles often imitate what they see in movies, video games, music videos and other popular culture references to gang activity. To law enforcement it is often difficult to tell the difference between a legitimate gang member and a youth who is just pretending or acting out lyrics from his or her favorite rap video.
In either case, law enforcement can charge juveniles with criminal activity based on what they post online. Juveniles often post information on Facebook or videos to YouTube without thinking of the potential consequences. Gang-like bravado and references to guns, violence, and retribution are all too common on the social networking pages of otherwise law abiding non-gang youths. Taunting between youths can become severe, and oftentimes threats are posted online that may alone be cause for criminal charges. Worse yet, if a juvenile actually commits a crime, all of their online activity may become additional evidence against them.
What To Do Next:
If your child has been arrested for a criminal charge, contact a St. Petersburg Juvenile Attorney to discuss possible defenses and specific strategies that may exist in your child’s case. Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss your child’s case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation. The Morris Law Firm can help and has specific knowledge and experience in defending Juvenile Crimes offenders throughout Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay, FL Area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Bradenton, Manatee, and Sarasota).
St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses why juveniles may be tried as adults.
Issue:
A recent Tampa, Florida case highlights how and why juvenile criminal defendants may be tried as adults.
Jared Cano, a 17-year-old accused of plotting to bomb his high school will be tried as an adult. In this case, the State Attorney’s Office determined that based on the evidence, interviews, and surrounding facts that adult charges were warranted.
While in this case it may be justified, there are many other examples where the decision to try a juvenile as an adult may be called into question.
Why This Matters To You:
The State Attorney’s Office ultimately makes the decision on whether or not to try a juvenile as an adult. The decision is usually made based on the type of crime, facts surrounding the case, as well as the prior record of the juvenile in question. When a juvenile is tried as an adult, he or she faces much greater potential punishments than those for juvenile crimes, and if convicted, a permanent adult criminal record. Additionally, certain pre-trial intervention programs traditionally available to juvenile defendants may not be available to those tried as an adult.
In some cases, a Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorney can negotiate with the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that the defendant is tried as a juvenile. This is important to avoid a potential adult criminal record, and the enhanced punishments that typically face adult defendants. An experienced Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorney can use the facts of the case as well as the juvenile defendant’s prior history and school record to avoid the State Attorney’s Office attempting to charge the defendant as an adult.
As is true with all juvenile criminal cases, early intervention and discussions with the State Attorney’s Office by a Juvenile Criminal Defense Attorney are important to adequately protect the rights of the juvenile defendant.
What To Do Next:
If your child has been charged with a crime, contact a St. Petersburg Juvenile Crimes Attorney to discuss possible defenses and specific strategies that may exist in your child’s case. Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss your child’s case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation. The Morris Law Firm can help and has specific knowledge and experience in Juvenile crimes and representing First Time Criminal Offenders throughout Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay, FL Area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Bradenton, Manatee, and Sarasota).
St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses the how St. Petersburg Police Department’s new task force targets Juvenile offenders.
Issue:
The St. Petersburg Police Department has recentely created a new unit called the Career Offender Tracking and Apprehension unit (COTA). The unit is intended to keep track of adult and juvenile offenders who have committed serious crimes and/or those who are at risk to have a repeat offense.
The detectives in the unit regularly check-in on offenders in their homes and create files on each offender. They check to see that they are abiding by their conditions of release and in the case of juvenile offenders attending school. By keeping close tabs on these targeted offenders, the St. Petersburg Police Department hopes to cut crime rates and recidivism.
While the unit’s intentions sound favorable, it should be noted that out of the hundreds of arrests in St. Petersburg, the COTA unit recently had 92 adults on its list while there were 175 juvenile offenders - a significant focus on youthful offenders.
Why This Matters To You:
The new St. Petersburg Police unit raises the question of whether or not law enforcement should also have the job of acting as a probation officer for juvenile offenders. It is much easier for law enforcement to immediately arrest a juvenile offender for a minor violation on the spot given the new duties of the COTA unit, whereas a normal probation officer may be given additional purview to get the youth back into line before an arrest is made on a minor violation.
Further, the detectives in the new unit are building significant dossiers on each child they are tracking including information gathered from schools, peers, and parents. This information could be used against a juvenile in court.
As well, the ability to arrest juveniles with the new COTA unit could potentially institutionalize a youthful offender before they are given the opportunity to be rehabilitized.
While Pinellas county judges and the State Attorney’s office have endorsed the COTA unit’s mission in theory, it is the job of criminal defense attorneys to defend juveniles who have fallen into the criminal justice system and require as vigorous a defense as local law enforcement is putting into their offensive tactics targeting youthful offenders.
What To Do Next:
If your child has been arrested for a criminal charge, contact a St. Petersburg Juvenile Attorney to discuss possible defenses and specific strategies that may exist in your child’s case. Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss your child’s case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation. The Morris Law Firm can help and has specific knowledge and experience in defending Juvenile Crimes offenders throughout Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay, FL Area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Bradenton, Manatee, and Sarasota).
St. Petersburg Criminal Attorney and Former State Prosecutor Melinda Morris of the Morris Law Firm discusses the recent U.S. Supreme Court Ruling and how it may affect juveniles convicted of criminal offenses.
Issue:
The U.S. Supreme Court recently made a ruling that reduces penalties for juvenile offenses in certain situations. The high court ruled that juveniles who commit crimes (with the exception of homicide) before turning 18 should not be subject to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole as the court considered it cruel and unusual punishment.
In Florida, the state abolished parole for life sentences in 1983, thus, a life sentence has meant life for juveniles until now. As a life sentence is no longer legal under the Supreme Court ruling there are few options for Florida judges who want to impose the harshest of sentences for juveniles. Now, Florida judges are in a dilemma when they want to hand out the maximum punishment - for example, would multiple back-to-back 30 year sentences be considered “life?” What about a 70 year sentence? Pinellas County and other Florida judges are left to interpret the ruling and research cases in other jurisdictions to seek direction.
Why This Matters To You:
This new gray area leaves the Supreme Court’s ruling up for interpretation and makes certain juvenile sentences ripe for appeal. Additionally, as judges can no longer hand out life sentences to juvenile offenders, Florida Legislators must come up with a solution. Currently in discussion is a bill that would give juvenile offenders affected by the Supreme Court ruling an opportunity for parole after 25 years.
Juveniles would still have to meet certain criteria to be eligible for parole under the bill including good behavior and achievement of a GED.
Regardless of changes to the the law, it is very important to retain a Criminal Defense Attorney with experience in the Juvenile Justice System if your child has been arrested. In many cases, even a minor juvenile offense can have long lasting effects if not handled properly.
What To Do Next:
If your child has been arrested for a criminal charge, contact a St. Petersburg Juvenile Attorney to discuss possible defenses and specific strategies that may exist in your child’s case. Call the Morris Law Firm at 727-388-4736 to discuss your child’s case directly with an attorney, or fill out our Online Form to be contacted for a Free Initial Consultation. The Morris Law Firm can help and has specific knowledge and experience in defending Juvenile Crimes offenders throughout Pinellas County and the entire Tampa Bay, FL Area (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsborough, Pasco, Bradenton, Manatee, and Sarasota).
