In Massachusetts, the purpose for bail is to ensure a person’s appearance at the next court date. Most people charged with crimes in Massachusetts are released on their own personal recognizance, or their promise to appear at the next date. For other people, it is up to the judge to set the bail amount.
Bail is set by the judge at the time of arraignment. The arraignment is the first court...
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Restraining orders are one of the most misunderstood issues of law in Massachusetts. Most people know someone who has had one and has probably feels that they know something about restraining orders.
Who can get a Restraining Order in Massachusetts? In order to get a restraining order in Massachusetts, the District court can only issue restraining orders to adults that are either family members, roommates, or who have been in a dating relationship. Parents may seek...
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There are two types of trials in Massachusetts. All defendants are entitled to a jury trial, however they can waive a jury and have a bench trial.
BENCH TRIAL IN MASSACHUSETTS
A bench trial is a trial without a jury. It is conducted by a Judge. The judge rules on issues of law and fact. The judge decides all of the issues in the case as well as imposes a sentence if the...
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Probation, which originated in Massachusetts in 1841, is a court-ordered penalty placed on someone was convicted of, or admitted to, a crime. A person can avoid jail by following the supervision of a probation officer and fulfilling certain terms and conditions. In Massachusetts, thousands of people are sentenced to probation each and every year. Conditions of Probation Judges in Massachusetts have a broad sentencing power....
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Massachusetts, like most states has more dispositions than simply guilty or not guilty. Here is a short guide to dispositions in Massachusetts.
Dismissal
There are two types of dismissals in Massachusetts dismissals with prejudice and without prejudice. If a case is dismissed with prejudice the case cannot be retried. If a case is dismissed without prejudice the case may be reopened. In ...
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Today, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick ordered the State Drug laboratory in Boston closed because of many problems with an individual chemist. The chemist whose name has been disclosed is the subject of a state police investigation. According to news reports in December the chemist's supervisor noticed discrepancies on 90 samples. As a result a an investigation was launched. Over the past five days the officials learned that there were more than improprieties. As of today all of the...
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The Massachusetts State announced today it will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in Plymouth
county on August 24 and 25. A sobriety checkpoint is also known as a roadblock. It is where all cars
are stopped and the driver is questioned. Even if there is no driving infractions the driver can be
ordered out of the car. Most times the State Police operate under a zero tolerance mandate when they
conduct roadblocks. If you are stopped at a roadblock in Massachusetts there are few things to
re...
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