by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 7, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
We are still pondering the Death Penalty Information Center’s 2014 year-end report. The organization found that the number of executions and death sentences decreased nationwide last year to levels the country hasn’t seen in decades. And, the numbers have... by Michelle Sparrow | Jan 5, 2015 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
The Death Penalty Information Center recently published its annual report on executions in the U.S. The statistics are telling — as is the reporting about the statistics — and timely. We found it dovetailed nicely with another story. More on that in a bit.... by Michelle Sparrow | Dec 10, 2014 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
A handful of laws went into effect on Dec. 1 that will change how North Carolina’s criminal justice system handles some offenses and some offenders. We discussed perhaps the most far-reaching change in our Nov. 6 post, NC Voters approve defendant felon’s... by Michelle Sparrow | Dec 7, 2014 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
A new law went into effect in North Carolina at the beginning of the month that allows defendants to waive their right to a trial by jury and instead choose to have their case tried by a judge. Historically, the state Constitutional has afforded all criminal... by Michelle Sparrow | Nov 21, 2014 | Criminal Law Blog, Violent Crimes
Authorities are once again chiding the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab for rushing to judgment. This time, however, the situation involves a very unusual suspect. The State Human Resources Commission has overturned the SBI’s...