Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Texas has a longstanding reputation for being tough on crime and criminals. It executes more convicts than any other state and has a massive prison population. But now the state is making crime headlines for another initiative in which a softer approach brought in seven years ago appears to have reversed the out-of-control growth of…
There is an increase in inappropriate student-teacher relationships. Sexual offenses can carry a great deal of stigma especially when those who are charged with them are in a position of responsibility such as being a teacher. Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how an English teacher from Richardson High School English teacher has been…
When Texas executed Miguel Parades by lethal injection last month, it marked the 10th time the death penalty had been used by the state this year. Texas leads the nation in the number of executions but the use of the death penalty is declining in the Lone Star State. The final execution of the year…
DNA plays a major part in many crime investigations and it can be recovered from some of the most unlikely of sources. Recently, the Dallas Morning News reported on how DNA evidence from a cigarette butt found at the scene of a fatal shooting last May has been linked to a man who was jailed…
We associate long prison sentences with crimes of violence but white collar crimes committed by people from professional backgrounds can also carry stiff sentences. Recently, a disbarred attorney from Arlington, Texas was sentenced to 20 years in prison for continuing to represent herself as an attorney almost a decade after she lost her license. The…
A 19-year-old Dallas man who is accused of using the address of his apartment to stage the robbery of a pizza delivery man has been hit with a felony aggravated robbery charge. The Dallas Morning News reported on how police said Jorge Armando Flores Montenegro 19, admitted to them that he helped rob a pizza…
Manuel Velez was on death row in Texas for four of the nine years he had been incarcerated. Last week it was disclosed he should never have been in jail, let alone facing the death penalty. The 49-year-old building worker from Texas was released from Huntsville prison a free man last week. He was arrested…
When it comes to the ultimate punishment, Texas sets many unenviable benchmarks. Last month the state made headlines by executing a woman when it put Lisa Coleman to death. The Washington Post reported on how she was the ninth person executed by Texas in 2014. The Lone Star State has executed more people than any…
A summer of civil disturbance in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer, appears to have had an effect on how the public view the criminal justice system. A recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found Americans of all backgrounds are more likely to see…
Public officials can face numerous criminal charges that would not be brought against members of the public. But there is often a gray area in these matters as demonstrated recently when Texas Governor Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury on abuse of power charges. He strongly denied the charges. City Council members can…