Newsletters

WITNESS TAMPERING

A person commits the offense of witness tampering if he or she offers, confers, or agrees to confer any benefit on a witness or a prospective witness in a judicial or an administrative proceeding.

Foreign Arrests

If an American citizen violates a foreign law in a foreign country he may be arrested for the foreign offense. An American businessperson or tourist is not afforded any type of immunity such as that enjoyed by diplomats.

DISPENSING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES

practitioner commits a criminal offense if he or she unlawfully dispenses a controlled substance. A practitioner is a physician, a dentist, a veterinarian, a pharmacist, or any other person who is permitted to use controlled substances in his or her profession. Dispensing is the transfer or delivery of a controlled substance by a practitioner.

FINES & COSTS

When a defendant is convicted of a criminal offense, the defendant is usually required to pay fines and costs as part of his or her sentence. If the defendant has only been ordered to pay fines and costs, the defendant will be discharged from a judgment requiring fines and costs upon full payment of the fines and costs to the proper authorities.

CLEMENCY FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

In some states, legislatures have recently enacted laws that grant the possibility of clemency by the states' governors for domestic violence victims who have been convicted of certain offenses, such as murder and manslaughter. In those states, the governors are entitled to request a clemency investigation by the states' parole boards into cases where defendants have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of those offenses when the offenses were directly related to the defendants' being victimized by domestic violence.