Rockville Criminal Justice Trends and Issues

There are a lot of problems with the current criminal justice system in terms of punishments not fitting crimes. Oftentimes, judges treat all defendants the same way instead of recognizing different backgrounds, education levels, and economic status. This can be addressed by removing mandatory minimum sentences from the books because they do not need to apply in many of the cases where they apply right now. That is probably the most serious issue in the criminal system right now from a Rockville criminal defense lawyer‘s perspective.

Focus on DUI and Drug Charges

This is usually for possession of small amounts of a controlled, dangerous substance. It also frequently occurs with DUIs where officers are in high-traffic areas with lots of bars or restaurants and they are trying to stop individuals who are drinking and driving. Those are primarily what the priorities are. Other than that, there is not really a crackdown on other kinds of cases. There are, however, specialized police task forces which handle particular types of crime like sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence issues.

Prosecutors and police officers are generally cracking down on very common offenses like DUIs and misdemeanor drug possession cases. These cases are the most common and widespread throughout the county, and also the most out in the open in terms of the violation. Therefore, task forces are assigned throughout the county to try to combat these particular issues.

Impact on the Case

When there are crackdowns on particular offenses, there will always be plea bargains available. However, whether or not it impacts your case depends on each individual offense and whether the police work was done correctly. An attorney will have the insight to know how the impact of police crack downs will affect your individual case.

Incarcerating the Innocent

Innocent individuals are charged all the time. Sometimes, task force members might become very robotic in their evaluation and not actually look through an entire set of criminal charges to understand the case in its entirety before making arrests. They might also just get used to making arrests without the appropriate probable cause or reason. An attorney in Rockville who is familiar with this area of law and with these particular kinds of charges will be able to identify issues with the officer’s arrest or the police work, to try to get the charges dismissed.

Priorities for Rockville Law Enforcement

Montgomery Country courts take all charges seriously. Felony charges like murder, rape, robbery, or crimes of violence are always going to be treated the most seriously. After that, charges are a priority based on their seriousness. Montgomery County is one of the best-funded counties in the entire state, so they have the resources and the manpower within their State’s Attorney’s office. They make sure that every crime is prosecuted to the fullest extent.