Paul Horton: Wrongful Incarceration

The criminal justice system is complex. On one hand, it aims to hold those who have committed criminal acts accountable for their behavior. On the other hand, it aims to hold ill-behaved law enforcement agencies and prosecutors accountable for their behavior. By ensuring that the rights of accused persons are respected, the system strives to achieve justice through fair and predictable means.

Unfortunately, even a skillful criminal defense does not always lead to the acquittal of wrongfully accused and wrongfully convicted persons. Sometimes law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are not held accountable for illegal practices on their part and individuals who should otherwise be released are incarcerated.

In fact, data compiled by the highly esteemed advocacy group the Innocence Project indicates that as many as 110,000 individuals are currently wrongfully incarcerated. That translates practically to nearly 5 percent of the current prison population. Some of these individuals are completely innocent of wrongdoing and even more should have had their charges dropped due to having certain rights infringed upon during the investigation and prosecution of their cases.

It is critical that the justice system operates in a fair and predictable way. Otherwise, similarly situated individuals will have no idea whether or not they will be prosecuted or granted their rightful release at any given time. Judges, lawmakers and concerned advocacy groups should give the problem of wrongful incarceration in America the urgent attention it deserves. Such attention will benefit both those directly affected by the trend and the health of the system as a whole.

Woman Accused Of DUI Forms Criminal Defense Against More Charges

A woman who was initially pursued by Enoch police on suspicion of DUI has been arrested relating to additional charges. Upon her arrest, Utah police discovered that she had a warrant from another state relating to theft charges. The woman must now begin forming her criminal defense against the various charges that she faces.

According to the report, at around 6:15 p.m., Utah police responded to a call about a potentially impaired driver on Midvalley Road. The caller claimed that a Ford Ranger was driving on the wrong side of the road, and the vehicle’s headlights were not on. When police attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver supposedly initiated a brief chase before running into a light pole and coming to a halt.

During her arrest, officers learned that the woman was missing from California, and she was noted as suicidal. When the officers contacted California to report that the woman had been found and is in police custody, they learned that she also had a warrant out for her arrest on theft allegations. Utah police claim that they searched the car and found approximately $60,000, which they believe to have been stolen.

The woman was arrested on charges of DUI, attempting to evade police and failing to stop at a stop sign. She was also accused of failure to maintain the proper lane and driving on revocation. Utah police are working with law officials in California investigating her theft charges. Since the woman is from another state, it would be advisable for her to learn about our policies and procedures to strengthen her criminal defense as her proceedings move forward.