prison & jail Archives - Pappalardo & Pappalardo LLP

How to Manage Your Online Reputation After an Arrest

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When someone gets arrested, one of their primary concerns may be how the arrest will affect their reputation. Given the easy access to information on the internet, an arres...

Predicate Felony Sentencing in New York Criminal Courts

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When it comes to sentencing, a person’s criminal history matters. If a person has prior convictions – whether for violations, misdemeanors, or felonies – the prosecutor and...

Voting in New York With a Felony Record

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When a person has lost the right to vote, this is called “disenfranchisement.” In the United States, an estimated 4.6 million citizens are barred from voting due to a felon...

Incarcerated Parent – The Impacts on Child Custody and Support

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Each year, tens of thousands of New Yorkers spend time in jail or in prison. In 2018, that number was 91,000 – that’s about 376 per 100,000 people. Somewhere between 55% an...

New York’s DVSJA: Sentencing Options for Victims of Domestic Violence

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In May of 2019, New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) was signed into law. Previously, we mentioned the new law in a blog, and now we're detailing the...

When a Witness is Unavailable to Testify in a Criminal Trial

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In criminal prosecutions, there can be a lot at stake. For some defendants, they are facing years in prison – perhaps even the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, they may...

How Witness Mis-Identification Can Happen In Criminal Court

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. When police investigate a crime, they ask victims and witnesses if they could identify the perpetrator. This is especially so in cases where the crime is committed by a str...

A Criminal Defendant’s Waiver of the Right to a Trial by Jury

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In criminal cases in New York, a defendant enjoys a right to a trial by jury. This right is protected by both the U.S. Constitution as well as the New York State Constituti...

Factors Which Lower Risk of Future Criminal Behavior

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Recidivism is when someone who has been convicted of a crime commits another crime thereafter. Punishment for an offense is one way to lower the risk of future criminal beh...

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

PLEASE NOTE: At our office, we have received a number of calls regarding the proposed Clean Slate Act. This blog is about a proposed law that is not yet in force. As of March 2022, the Clean Slate Act...

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...

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Suicide is a crime in some parts of the world. While it is not criminalized in New York, it is still marked by stigma and taboo. Unfortunately, many people involved in the...

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