Legislation Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Pappalardo & Pappalardo LLP

How to Expunge a Prior Marijuana Conviction in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In 2021, New York didn’t just decriminalize marijuana – the state legislature made it legal for recreational use. Under these new laws, convictions for such can, in some ca...

How Desk Appearance Tickets Really Work in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Sometimes, when you’re alleged to have committed a crime, you’re not always taken into custody. In these cases, cops don’t use handcuffs and jail cells – they issue a Desk...

“Clean Slate” Would Automatically Clear Criminal Records in New York

PLEASE NOTE: Our office has received a number of calls regarding the Clean Slate Act. This blog is about a proposed law that was not yet in force. The Clean Slate Act has now been signed into law, and...

Exposure, Lewdness, and Other Offenses Against Public Sensibilities

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. There are some actions which are considered so offensive that they are criminalized. In New York, this includes exposure of intimate parts and other types of lewdness. They...

The Rise of Electronic Monitoring and its Costs to Criminal Defendants

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. During the covid-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the use of electronic monitoring. Yet such monitoring has been available for some time. The use of ankle bracelets in...

The Hidden Costs of the NY Criminal Legal System

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. The old saying goes, “Crime doesn’t pay.” And in New York, getting involved in the criminal legal system can actually cost a lot of money. From supervision fees, to restitu...

Facial Recognition and Its Use by Law Enforcement

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Facial recognition is a way of identifying someone using a picture of their face. Then it is compared to pictures in a database. For example, if you have an iPhone, you may...

Property Crimes in New York – Does the Punishment Fit the Offense?

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Property crimes are among the most common offenses in the criminal legal system. This includes theft of items and damaging another person’s belongings. Such crimes are non-...

HALT – New York Will Reform Its Use of Solitary Confinement

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In New York, legislators have been working for years to pass the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (“the HALT Act”). Finally, the legislation has be...

Marijuana Legalization Bill Signed Into Law in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. New York previously considered the legalization of recreational marijuana. And in 2019, laws went into effect which decriminalized the drug. Yet possessing small amounts of...

Veterans Treatment Courts in New York State

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Veterans are people who served the United State in active military, naval, or air service. In New York alone, there are 700,000 vets. In general, they are less likely to co...

Decriminalizing Sex Work: Will Prostitution Become Legal?

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. It is often referred to as the “oldest profession.” Yet prostitution and patronizing a sex worker are crimes that, in some circumstances, carry heavy criminal penalties. Re...

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