Felony convictions can have devastating consequences for those who suffered such convictions even in the distant past. While Penal Code section 1203.4(a) permits “expungement”, or a dismissal, of a felony charge if the defendant completed probation and was not sentenced to State Prison, the felony stigma and status of the prior conviction still stands to…
Penal Code sections 1001.35-1001.36 were added to the California Penal Code June 27, 2018 to create a new statutory scheme that provides the Court the discretion to place qualified criminal defendants into “Pretrial Mental Health Diversion”. On June 21, 2018, Penal Code section 1001.35 through 1001.36 became effective after enactment of Assembly Bill 1810 by…
Our country is a nation of immigrants and is the best country in the world for that reason. Yet, immigrants convicted of criminal offenses can face draconian consequences, even for offenses that may be considered minor by the general public or even by those in the legal community who do not fully grasp the labyrinthine…
Theft crimes were redefined by the passage of Proposition 47 by the voters in 2014. Whereas before Proposition 47 certain theft crimes, such as Grand Theft, required a threshold of $450.00 value to the stolen goods, or in some cases no minimum, for felony charges to be brought, since Proposition 47 passed there is generally…
California Voter’s approved recreational marijuana for statewide use last November 2016 with Proposition 64. What many may not know is that the passage of the Proposition is that the law was changed not just to allow future use and possession/ cultivation of cannabis, but also corrected past draconian and unproductive punishments and criminal records created…
