‘No Cash Bail’ Law Becomes First of its Kind in Illinois In February of 2021, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law making Illinois the first U.S. state to abolish cash bail payments for arrested individuals who are waiting to stand trial. Known as the Illinois Pre-Trial Fairness Act, proponents of the law argue that cash bail is a
States with Ignition Interlock Compliance Laws Note Lower Rates of Repeat DUI Offenses According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 31% of all fatal crashes in 2021 were caused by alcohol-impaired drivers. In fact, repeat DUI offenders are more likely to be involved in DUI-related fatal crashes than first-time offenders. To help combat this problem, all 50 states have adopted
New Texas Law Makes Cutting off Ankle Monitors a Crime On a Saturday morning in October 2022, two hospital employees, Jacqueline Pokuaa and Katie Flowers, were killed in a shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The suspected shooter, Nestor Hernandez, was on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active GPS ankle monitor on when the shooting occurred. In addition, Hernandez
California Repeals Use of Numerous Offender-Pay Fees with AB1869 The State of California has taken a significant step related to the issue of the fees an individual may be assessed as a condition of release for pretrial, probation, and parole. California’s AB1869 was signed into law in late 2020 and went into effect on July 1, 2021. The bill was designed
Facial Verification Versus Facial Recognition Facial recognition was originally developed in the 1960s and gained profound popularity in the early 1990s when the United States Department of Defense began using it. Today, facial recognition is omnipresent, and we often don’t even think about it. But the use of this technology is not without controversy. Studies have determined that individuals with darker
Washington State Passes Crucial Victim Notification Law In November 2019, Marine Corps veteran and mother of three Tiffany Hill was shot and killed by her estranged husband. Despite having a restraining order in place, she died in front of her children while sitting in her car in their elementary school parking lot. Now, Washington state lawmakers have enacted changes in hopes
Washington State Passes Crucial Victim Notification Law In November 2019, Marine Corps veteran and mother of three Tiffany Hill was shot and killed by her estranged husband. Despite having a restraining order in place, she died in front of her children while sitting in her car in their elementary school parking lot. Now, Washington state lawmakers have enacted changes in hopes
Veterans Treatment Court Act Funds Supportive Alternatives Veterans treatment courts (VTCs) are one of the fastest growing specialty court types in the U.S.; there are now more than 551 VTCs nationwide. Recent legislation will fund support staff at these alternative courts to assist veterans on their road to recovery. Veterans Treatment Courts Increase Assistance This fall, the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of
Alcohol & Drunk Driving Trends: A 2018 Retrospective In the spirit of the new year ahead, we have decided to look back at some of the 2018 trends surrounding drunk driving, alcohol addiction, and criminal justice. Problem Drinking & Driving It’s no secret that impaired driving is a widespread issue, but drinking and driving in certain age groups has its own set
“No Refusal” DUI Policies: Time Is A Factor During a drunk-driving traffic stop or following a crash, time is a critical factor when it comes to accurately determining a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Because the human body rapidly metabolizes consumed alcohol, if too much time passes between the initial stop and the administration of a BAC test, the results