Families and communities are greatly affected in the negative sense when touched by violent crime. Violent crimes, such as assault, not only cause physical harm to victims, but also emotional and social distress which leads to anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and premature death. Crime in neighborhoods can affect the local economy in addition to [...]

“Smart” doorbells like Ring or Nest give many homeowners a sense of security. Being able to see and hear who is at your door, as well as the potential crime deterrent offered by the presence of the doorbell itself, provides consumers a less expensive way to set up a home security system. Many of the [...]

The popular social networking apps in Apple’s App Store are now the subject of over 1,500 complaints and allegations of unwanted and unsolicited sexual advances, many of which have targeted children. According to the Washington Post, this is in stark contrast to what the company continually markets its App Store as – a safe and [...]

Tennessee offers a diversion program for some offenses if the accused meets certain conditions. There are two types of diversionary programs: pretrial diversion and judicial diversion. Both types of diversion programs are used to give defendants a chance to avoid a criminal record for less serious offenses. There are important differences between the two.  What [...]

In film and television, when the prosecutor says he has an eyewitness, you always see a look of dismay on the face of the defendant. The truth is, eye witness testimony isn’t always right, and that testimony is often easily debunked. So if a law enforcement officer or the D.A. tries to coerce a confession [...]

Many new laws took effect on January 1, 2020, which could affect how personal injury and criminal defense cases move forward. We wanted to review a few of those changes today, so you could be informed about what the new laws say. Changes regarding handgun permits A new permit option has been added called a [...]

The state of Tennessee governs its bail bonds system. Essentially, a bail bond is an insurance policy offered to a defendant that which the bail established by the court to be fulfilled. The bail bond agency provides the security and assurance that the defendant will show up in court at the designated time. The State [...]

Many courts across the nation have changed the way they operate temporarily in response to COVID-19. Every court or court jurisdiction, including those in Tennessee, are making modifications based on local and regional circumstances. These have included limiting courthouse access, closing courthouses, canceling non-case related operations and activities, allowing videoconferencing of court proceedings and rescheduling [...]

Possession of drug paraphernalia is a crime in Tennessee. Convictions can result in local jail or prison time, a criminal record which can make it hard to find a job or a place to live, fines and court costs, and the need to work with a probation officer on release from custody. There are often [...]