Criminal Law

People who are facing criminal charges often hope that they can avoid incarceration, which is why it may be upsetting to some Mississippi residents to realize that they’re facing charges in a state with a high incarceration rate. A high incarceration rate doesn’t mean...

The pressure can feel overwhelming when facing criminal charges. Everything feels urgent. The prosecution is offering a plea deal that looks like a fast solution and your quickest way out. You’re convinced that going to trial is something that you just can’t afford to...

Stealing merchandise from a store used to be considered a relatively minor crime in many cases. However, retail theft has gotten far more organized, destructive and costly to retailers.  Laws addressing “organized retail theft” have become increasingly common...

Driving is one of the most common times for the average person to pick up a criminal record. One minute, they are a law-abiding citizen, then all of a sudden, they are facing charges over something that happened while driving and are looking at the possibility of a...

There are a number of misconceptions when it comes to appeals. The first is that appeals are automatic or happen in the majority of cases. The reality is that there must be a valid reason for the appeal. The second misconception is that an appeal is a chance to bring...

Not everyone convicted of a crime is guilty. Prisons contain numerous people who have been wrongfully convicted. One factor that leads to wrongful convictions is often eyewitness error. The Innocence Project, which uses post-conviction DNA testing to contest wrongful...

If it appears that the police have you as a suspect for a crime, one thing you might well do is panic. In that panic, you might take all sorts of steps to try and reduce the chance they arrest you. This is true whether or not you actually did anything wrong. You need...

Fewer people are receiving checks through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) than even a couple of decades ago. Government benefits, paychecks, refunds and other payments are more likely to be made directly to people’s bank accounts.  Nonetheless, in Mississippi, mail...

If you’re ever questioned by the police as a suspect, witness or just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time, you have the right to remain silent. This isn’t just something from crime dramas. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives you the right to...

Hearing a knock at your door with an announcement that it’s a police officer can be a stressful experience. It’s critical that you know what to do if this occurs. One of the most important things to remember is that police officers can’t just search your home whenever...