First of all, Texas does not call it “probation” anymore. These days it is “community supervision.” Whatever you call it, community supervision in Texas is the same as probation in most other states. It is a sentencing option judges have allowing them to sentence a criminal offender to a supervised sentence without sending the offender…
It is well-established in American law that evidence gathered through unlawful means cannot be used in a criminal prosecution. The United States Constitution, the Texas state constitution, and Texas state law all embrace this concept. What it all amounts to is, the police have rules they must follow when investigating a crime. If they do…
Being charged with a crime of any kind is bad. Being convicted is worse. No one wants to go to jail, and many years in prison is an even less appealing prospect. However, even if you are convicted of a crime, there could be light at the end of the tunnel. It is possible to…
You cannot get out of a criminal charge – even a minor criminal charge – by simply skipping your court date. This applies to any preliminary court dates as well as your scheduled trial date. If you fail to appear in court when the court says you are required to appear, you can quickly find…
Texas has a reputation as a state that is hard on criminals. Much of that reputation is derived from days gone by when frontier justice prevailed, but much of it is well-deserved. In many respects, Texas law takes a dim view of law-breakers and treats them harshly. It seems likely that there is no other…
Texas has a long-standing reputation for being tough on crime. However, it has been a long time since Roy Bean held court from his Jersey Lily Saloon as justice of the peace in Langtry, Texas, and declared himself “The only law West of the Pecos.” And while Bean was given a reputation in the press…
Except under the most extreme circumstances, both the Texas state constitution and the United States Constitution guarantee the right to reasonable bail to those facing criminal charges. The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits “excessive bail,” while Section 11 of the Texas Constitution Bill of Rights guarantees the right to bail by “sufficient sureties,”…
The short answer is, if you have been arrested for shoplifting, you should care. In this digitally connected age, where pretty much everything about you is online for someone to find, a criminal conviction can be an impediment to achieving the future you want. That includes convictions for crimes you might consider “minor.” Shoplifting in…
In Texas, as in most states, a bench warrant is an order issued by the court to have an individual arrested. Unlike an arrest warrant – also issued by a judge – that gives police permission to arrest someone and charge them with a particular crime, bench warrants are most frequently issued when someone already…
Over the past year or so, a lot of people in a lot of places have been protesting about a lot of things. Those protests have been described as “mostly peaceful,” but some of those protests have included violence. Much of that violence resulted in federal charges. In Portland, OR, where protests went on nightly…
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