St. Louis Criminal Defense Legal Blog

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Monday, March 25, 2019. The War on Crime. The War on Drugs. Dangerous felons. Truly violent offenders. Citizens at risk. Such tags are evocative, and they have unquestionably colored the public’s perceptions regarding crime in the United States over many decades. Based on such wording and imagery, it is small wonder that legions of Americans think that a horde of marauders is at the door. In fact, reality paints a quite different picture, and Greg Berman is quite happy to sketch it. Berman is the director of the nonprofit criminal justice reform …

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Thursday, March 21, 2019. “Get a Job” is the title to a classic pop song of yesteryear. Hollywood also recently released a film with the same name. Millions of people across the country daily think about jobs, apply for jobs and dream of scoring jobs. There is no dearth of data to conclusively demonstrate that being gainfully employed links closely with a person’s self-esteem. And just as importantly, of course, having a job is what pays the rent, provides for families, secures further education and enables upward mobility. Not being able to …

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Monday, March 18, 2019. It’s not like St. Louis County is off the radar when it comes to the spotlighting of problems linked with juvenile crime and the subsequent failure of young people charged with criminal counts to secure legal counsel. In fact, the county has been prominently cited by both advocates for minor offenders and federal government officials as having a problem concerning juveniles’ right to counsel. That is this: Both in the past and presently a troublingly high number of youthful offenders are reportedly waiving their right to timely secure …

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. So-called “civil asset forfeiture” has long been a hot-button topic in Missouri and other states across the country, with both adherents and detractors voicing strong opinions concerning the practice. Asset forfeiture enables federal and state law enforcers to seize property they say is somehow related to the spoils of crime. An alleged drug trafficker’s bank accounts might be taken over. A business owner might have equipment or other assets seized by authorities claiming that an enterprise has been engaging in money laundering. Supporters of the practice – most …