The “Safety Valve” exception is a statutory exception to mandatory minimum sentencing laws. A safety valve allows a judge to sentence a person below the mandatory minimum term if certain conditions are met. The “Safety Valve” provision is a provision of law codified in 18 United States Code §3553(f). It…
Public attitudes towards marijuana in Georgia are becoming far more relaxed, especially as other states, such as Colorado and California, begin legalizing recreational use of the drug. However, while Georgians may no longer think that offenders of marijuana crimes deserve the heavy handed sentences they have been subject to for…
Cell phones, potential drug crimes charges and law enforcement – these three things have been all over the news in the past few months. This past week, a New York Times article revealed that the government has been paying AT&T, through a partnership known as the Hemisphere Project, for a mass amount of…
Defending a drug crimes case may finally get easier. Attorney General Eric Holder made an announcement yesterday at the American Bar Association annual meeting that federal prosecutors will stop seeking longer mandatory sentences for many non violent drug offenders. This, allegedly, is part of a new effort to focus on violent crimes…