Westchester New York Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations Extended by Child Victims Act

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In early 2019, Governor Cuomo signed legislation which extends the statute of limitations for bringing cases against those who commit sexual abuse against children. The cha...

Decriminalization of Marijuana in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In June, the New York legislature passed a bill which decriminalizes many marijuana possession offenses. While not fully legalizing the drug's possession, it shows that New...

Licensing of Multiple DWI Offenders by the New York DMV

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As of October 2012, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began applying certain rules to persons with multiple convictions or incidents involving alcohol- or dru...

Revocation of Parole in New York State

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When on parole or post-release supervision (“PRS”), a person is at liberty after serving time in prison. The parolee is under the supervision of a parole officer (“P.O.”) a...

Gravity Knives No Longer Illegal In New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On May 30, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed into law a bill removing criminal sanctions for the possession of gravity knives. This bill brings the state’s laws into line with a...

Orders of Protection in New York Criminal Cases

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. An Order of Protection issued in a criminal case will prohibit a defendant from having contact with an alleged victim. Called a restraining order in other jurisdictions, an...

Loitering in New York – Are Cops Targeting Certain Populations?

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. “No Loitering” is a sign one often sees on private property. Anyone staying on private property can be charged with trespass or more serious crimes. However, loitering r...

Domestic Abuse Survivors to Receive More Consideration At Sentencing

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On May 14, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA). The law would, among other measures, give judges more discr...

Calls Recorded By Jails Can Be Used By Prosecutors

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. If you’ve ever received calls from someone in jail or prison, you’ve likely heard a recording prior to accepting the call. And it usually states that the phone call will be...

Use of Jailhouse Informants In Criminal Cases

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. While in jail, inmates will chat with one another about their criminal cases. Sometimes, an inmate will confess his or her crime. But in other cases, an inmate can lie abou...

Additional Reforms in the NY Criminal Justice System

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As discussed in last week's blog, the legislature recently passed sweeping bail and discovery reforms. There are also several other reforms taking place. Here, we discuss a...

Reforms Made to New York Bail and Discovery Laws

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As discussed in our recent blog, the New York legislature was considering revisions to the state's discovery laws. Many of these reforms have passed, and effective January...