Mobile Mardi Gras 2014

As the ancestral home of Carnival in the United States, Mobile, AL has a long proud history of putting on Mardi Gras. With so much to see and do around town, and temperate Gulf Coast weather,- even in February, Mobile is simply a great place to visit with family and friends at any time of year.

Because Mobile has such a long Mardi Gras parading season it’s possible to enjoy the town and the festivities without getting bogged down with crowds and partygoers (unless that’s your thing), making it ideal for families.

Overall, Mobile offers one of the best Mardi Gras mixes on the Gulf Coast.  It’s big with the go wild crowd, but offers more than enough for those who want to participate quietly, and everything in between.

Mobile’s Carnival season seems to go on much longer than in many other cities.  In Mobile, more than 50 groups organize parades, balls, and festivities over a period of up to three weeks.

Families & Krewes

Mobile parade routes include sections that are designated family friendly and prohibit the consumption of alcohol. Bienville Square and Spanish Plaza are centrally located for parade watching, while Dauphin and Royal Streets are home to numerous restaurants, music venues, and shops.

In Mobile’s Mardi Gras culture, you won’t often hear the word krewe (as you might in Louisiana).  Here they refer to their parading organizations as "orders" or "societies", or "Knights of", though they serve much the same social, civic, and cultural function.  In 1830, Cowbellion de Rakin, Mobile’s first masked parading society was founded, and since that time numerous secret (and not so secret) societies have been formed around Mobile’s Mardi Gras parading tradition.

Overall, Mobile offers one of the best Mardi Gras mixes on the Gulf Coast.  It’s big with the go wild crowd, but offers more than enough for those who want to participate quietly, and everything in between.

Parade Maps, Routes, Schedules and Parking

Do I Need a Lawyer When I'm Charged with a Crime?

Defendants charged with crimes are almost always best served by obtaining a lawyer. In fact, most criminal defendants are represented by a lawyer, especially when jail or a prison sentence is a possible result. It is very difficult for a person to competently handle his or her own criminal case. While there are no firm statistics on how many people choose to represent themselves in criminal cases, estimates range well below 1%.

You Can't Find Everything You Need in a Book

Self-representation is made difficult in part by the typical gulf between paper and practice in criminal cases. In books you can find laws that define crimes, fix punishments for their violation, and mandate courtroom procedures. Take the time and trouble to read these books, defendants might think, and they'll understand the system. Alas, the practice of criminal law can't be understood by reading books alone, even this one. To experienced criminal defense attorneys, the criminal law appears much the same as a droplet of water appears to a biologist under a microscope—a teeming world with life forms and molecules interacting unpredictably.

The Power of the Prosecutor

For example, prosecutorial discretion—the power of prosecutors to decide whether to file criminal charges, and what charges to file— determines much of what actually happens in the criminal courts. The particular prosecutor who has the power to make decisions, and when those decisions are made, can greatly affect the outcome of a case. An act that looks on paper to constitute one specific crime can be recast as a variety of other crimes, some more and others less serious. What in a statute book appears to be a fixed sentence for a particular crime can be negotiated into a variety of alternatives.

Community Pressures

No one should underestimate the role that community pressures, values, and politics plays in many criminal cases. Judges must stand for re-election, prosecutors want to be successful, and police expect that the crime reports they bring to the prosecutor will result in charged cases. The public may be fired up about certain crimes and expect the system to "get tough" on people arrested for them. In a perfect world, the system would be immune from such pressures, but this is simply not what happens. Only someone who's familiar with the local scene can know how these pressures might affect your case, and how to work within them.

In other words, the world of criminal law is vast, hidden, and shifting, and defendants enter it alone at their peril. At the very least, most self-represented defendants should arrange for a lawyer to be a legal coach and consult with their coaches as needed.

What Will an Attorney Do for Me?

The truth is, no matter how smart or well educated you are, the criminal justice system makes it virtually impossible to do a competent job of representing yourself. Each criminal case is unique, and only a specialist who is experienced in assessing the particulars of a case—and in dealing with the many variables that come up in every case—can provide the type of representation that every criminal defendant needs to receive if justice is to be done.
Criminal defense lawyers do much more than simply question witnesses in court. For example, defense lawyers:

• Negotiate "deals" with prosecutors, often arranging for reduced charges and lesser sentences. By contrast, prosecutors may be uncooperative with self-represented defendants.
• Formulate sentencing programs tailored to a client's specific needs, often helping defendants avoid future brushes with the criminal justice system.
• Help defendants cope with the feelings of fear, embarrassment, reduced self-esteem, and anxiety that criminal charges tend to produce in many people.
• Provide defendants with a reality check—a knowledgeable, objective perspective on their situation and what is likely to happen should their cases go to trial. This perspective is vital for defendants trying to decide whether to accept a prosecutor's offered plea bargain.
• Are familiar with important legal rules that people representing themselves would find almost impossible to locate on their own, because many criminal law rules are hidden away in court interpretations of federal and state statutes and constitutions. For example, understanding what may constitute an unreasonable search and seizure often requires familiarity with a vast array of state and federal appellate court opinions.
• Are familiar with local court customs and procedures that are not written down anywhere. For example, a defense lawyer may know which prosecutor has the real authority to settle a case and what kinds of arguments are likely to appeal to that prosecutor.
• Understand the possible hidden costs of pleading guilty that a self-repre­sented person might never think about.
• Spend time on a case that a defendant cannot afford to spend. Defendants who can afford to hire a lawyer usually have jobs, and therefore lack the time (and energy) to devote to such time-consuming activities as gathering and examining documents, doing legal research, and talking to witnesses.
• Gather information from prosecution witnesses. Witnesses often fear people accused of crimes and therefore refuse to speak to people representing themselves. Witnesses are more likely to talk to defense attorneys or their investigators.
• Hire and manage investigators. Investigators may be able to believably impeach (contradict) prosecution witnesses who embellish their stories at trial. By contrast, it is far less effective for a defendant to testify that "the prosecution witness told me something different before trial."

This article was excerpted from The Criminal Law Handbook, by Paul Bergman, J.D., and Sara J. Berman, J.D.

How does "Bail" work?

If you watch much television, you've probably seen variations of this scene dozens of times: a judge bangs a gavel and announces, "Bail is set at $100,000." The defendant looks despondent as he consults with his lawyers. But somehow he ends up free while waiting for his trial to begin. One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money to come up with -- how did he afford it? And what did it mean when the defense attorney claimed his client was not a "flight risk"?

Bail works by releasing a defendant in exchange for money that the court holds until all proceedings and trials surrounding the accused person are complete. The court hopes that the defendant will show up for his or her court dates in order to recover the bail.

In many cases, trials can begin weeks or months after an initial arrest, and if not for bail, many people, some of whom might be innocent, would have to wait in jail until their trials began. At the minimum, this can present a financial hardship, as the person would be unable to work. And, the person would also be missing his or her life -- family events, holidays, etc. Not everyone who is released on bail is eventually acquitted, so to prevent particular dangerous suspects from being released, several safeguards have been built into bail law. In this article, we'll learn about those safeguards, how the bail process works and how this system has changed since it was first started in England centuries ago.

When someone is arrested, he or she is first taken to a police station to be booked. When a suspect is booked, or processed, a police officer records information about the suspect (name, address, birthday, appearance) and the alleged crime. The police officer conducts a criminal background check, takes the suspect's fingerprints and mugshot and seizes and inventories any personal property, which will be returned when the suspect is released. The suspect is also checked to see if he or she is intoxicated and usually is allowed to make a phone call. Finally, an officer puts the suspect in a jail cell, usually with other recently booked suspects.

For less serious crimes, a suspect may be allowed to post bail immediately after being booked. Otherwise, the suspect will have to wait (usually less than 48 hours) for a bail hearing where a judge will determine if the accused is eligible for bail and at what cost.

The amount of bail depends on the severity of the crime but is also at the judge's discretion. Some jurisdictions have bail schedules which recommend a standard bail amount.

In determining bail, a judge may take into account this amount but will also consider the defendant's criminal record (if any), his or her history of showing up for past court appearances, ties to the community, whether the suspect is a danger to others and any other concerns that may be raised by the defendant's attorney. In some cases, bail may be waived altogether, which we'll discuss later in the article.

So how did that guy on Law & Order afford $100,000 bail? Read on to learn about the different types of bail.

Types of Bail

There are five different types of bail, although some of them are used less frequently than others. Let's start with the most common ones.

Cash Bail
Cash bail means that the accused pays the full amount of bail in cash. Sometimes the court accepts checks or even a credit card.

Surety Bond
Also called a bail bond, a surety bond can be used for any amount of bail, but it is especially useful when the accused can't afford to pay his or her bail. This type of bail often involves a friend or relative of the accused contacting a bail agent, also known as a bail bondsman. A bail agent is backed by a special type of insurance company called a surety company and pledges to pay the full value of the bond if the accused doesn't appear in court. In return, the bail agent charges his client a 10 percent premium and collects some sort of collateral (i.e. a title to a house, car or boat, or jewelry or electronics).

By getting a friend or relative involved, the bail agent hopes that the defendant feels compelled to appear in court, since this friend or relative is probably paying the bail agent's premium and has collateral on the line. The bail agent's bond is also at stake, and if the defendant doesn't appear in court (known as skipping or jumping bail), then it will be the agent who's responsible for paying the entire bond. If the defendant skips a court date, the bail agent, and even the family or friends of the defendant, might seek out a bounty hunter, assuming it's legal in that state.

Commercial bail bonding is illegal in Illinois, Oregon, Wisconsin and Kentucky [ref]. Some states require bondsmen to be licensed. If you are in need of a bail bondsman, you can find listings in local phonebooks.
Release on Citation (Cite Out)

In some cases, an officer will not book a suspect at all but will instead issue a citation saying that the accused must appear in court. While this process is less thorough than taking a suspect to a police station and performing the formal booking procedure, it allows the arresting officer to focus on catching more serious offenders.

Release on Own Personal Recognizance

A judge may also choose to release a suspect on his own recognizance, meaning that he is responsible for showing up for court dates and does not have to pay bail. Personal recognizance is usually only allowed when the charge involves a relatively minor, nonviolent crime and if the defendant is not considered a danger to anyone else or a flight risk -- meaning that it's highly unlikely that the person will flee and not appear for his or her court date.

Property Bond

Sometimes a defendant can provide some property to act as a bond. In these cases, the court gets a lien (essentially a legal claim) on the property in the amount of the bail. If the defendant doesn't show up for his court appearances, the court can foreclose on the property to recover the forfeited bail.

Dealing with Bail Bond Agents

Though bail bond agents may seem like part of a sordid business since they're constantly dealing with accused criminals, it's still a business like any other. Just like you would with a professional in another field, ask to see a bail bondsman's license and identification. Most agents charge a premium of 10 percent, but there may be some additional charges. Ask the agent to explain these charges to you and present them in an itemized list. Similarly, get receipts for everything, and request copies of anything you sign. (Of course, make sure to review any documents you are asked to sign.) Like with any type of loan, don't get talked into financing that you can't afford.
If you're employing a bail agent on behalf of a friend or relative, your agent should be available to you for questions and assistance. In all likelihood, he will be, since he has a vested interested in making sure his clients show up for their court dates. Technically, the defendant is in his custody and is his responsibility. Even so, if it seems that an agent won't be available to talk to you, move on to someone else. There are many options available that can easily be found in a phonebook, through a lawyer or online.

History of Bail

The United States' bail system has evolved from a system developed in England during the Middle Ages. In 1677, the English parliament passed the Habeas Corpus Act, which, among its provisions, established that magistrates would set terms for bail. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 declared restrictions against "excessive bail" and later inspired the Virginia state constitution and the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution states that all people under arrest must "be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation" they face and also allows a person to demand bail if he or she is accused of a bailable offense.

Still, American bail law is actually rooted in legislation. The Judiciary Act of 1789 stated that all noncapital offenses (crimes that did not carry the possibility of the death penalty) were bailable. In the case of capital crimes, the possibility of bail was at the judge's discretion. The act also placed limits on judges' powers in setting bail -- think back to the English Bill of Rights' prohibition against "excessive bail."

Bail law in the United States remained relatively unchanged from 1789 until 1966. In 1966, the U.S. Congress passed the Bail Reform Act, which was designed to allow for the release of defendants with as small a financial burden as possible. Before signing the act, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave a speech that contained stunning examples of how the bail system had hurt people in the past. Here's one particularly disturbing example: "A man spent two months in jail before being acquitted. In that period, he lost his job, he lost his car, he lost his family -- it was split up. He did not find another job, following that, for four months" [ref]. Other anecdotes related similar stories: poor people spending months in jail only to later have the charges dropped; others forced to sit in jail, unable to work, only to be found innocent of all charges. In short, the bail system was biased against the poor and filling jails with people who should be out on bail.

The next major revision to U.S. bail law came with the Bail Reform Act of 1984, which replaced its 1966 predecessor. While the previous Reform Act had helped to overturn discrimination against the poor, it had left open a serious loophole that allowed many dangerous suspects to receive bail as long as they didn't appear to be flight risks. This new law stated that defendants should be held until trial if they're judged dangerous to the community. The law also established new categories of who could be held without bail -- mostly those charged with very serious crimes, repeat offenders, the potentially dangerous and anyone who might be a flight risk. And finally, the act stated that those who were eligible for bail had to have a bail hearing.

Baldwin County Sheriff's Office launches app for smartphones

Have a question for the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office? There's an app for that.
In an effort to better serve county residents, the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office has announced a free smartphone app for Android phones.

"The primary motivator was for people to have accessibility, to be able to send us information immediately — on the road, shopping, at the beach, we just want citizens to have that direct accessibility to the Sheriff's Office," said Baldwin County Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack.

The "Contact Us" portion of the organization's website has seen increased usage in recent years, Mack said, with information being provided from users on issues from suspected suspicious activity to specific and more general information and questions.
With smartphone usage more prevalent than ever, the move to offer more options for residents' concerns was natural.

"I think this will be another avenue to answer a lot of these questions, just making this way to communicate with us available," Mack said.

Information that is received through the app will be filtered through two different areas.

"One comes into our dispatch center and the other goes into an administrative review," Mack said. "If it is an emergency, we urge you to do that via the telephone side, not the texting side. If it is strictly an inquiry or general information, it will come into our administrative department and may be subject to a one- to two-day waiting period for us to get to it."

Apple iPhone users won't be left in the cold for long, if Mack has his way.

"We have applied for our app approval through Apple, we are just currently waiting for it to be approved," Mack said. "We've been told two to three months, but the Android app did come out relatively quickly."

"We didn't want to wait to, we wanted to roll this first part out as it was available to us," Mack said.

By Jessica Sawyer Rigby, Press-Register

Federal court blocks parts of Alabama, Georgia Immigration Laws

A federal appeals court has blocked Alabama's requirement that schools determine whether enrolling children are illegal immigrants.

Under the law known as H.B. 56, parents must provide schools a copy of their children's birth certificates. For those who were born outside the United States or can't provide a birth certificate, parents must provide citizenship or immigration documentation. Students lacking those are presumed to be illegal immigrants.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found on Aug. 20 that this provision interferes with the right to an elementary public education in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

The ruling cites the 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe that said a Texas law denying free public education to undocumented children violated the clause. In that case, the court emphasized the blamelessness of the affected children and required a higher threshold to justify the effects that a lack of education can have, the 11th Circuit ruling says.

The 11th Circuit specifies that H.B. 56's requirement to provide documentation will deter illegal immigrants from enrolling in school, even though state officials said they would collect the information only to have data about the costs of educating illegal immigrants. But state officials also said the requirement is "unlikely to yield particularly precise data," and inaccurate data would not be useful to forecast costs, the court says.

And while the provision restricts the dissemination of the information families provide, federal law requires states to disclose immigration information upon request. That makes the privacy restrictions "wholly ineffectual," the court says.

In a companion case, the 11th Circuit also blocked other provisions of Alabama's law because they intrude into the federal government's jurisdiction over immigration matters.

For example, the law criminalized illegal immigrants' applications for work and failure to carry alien registration documents.

Additionally, in another Aug. 20 decision, the court blocked part of a Georgia immigration law, H.B. 87, because it penalized conduct related to immigration status that the federal government already regulates.

Georgia's law made it an offense to transport or harbor illegal immigrants, for example. But the federal government already penalizes those actions through the Immigration and Nationality Act, the court says.

Did a Memorial Day traffic stop leave you in hot water with the law?

If you found yourself pulled over or at a click it or ticket check point, whether it is for DUI, Speeding, lack on insurance, or expired registration and find yourself in legal trouble. Start your defense by getting the right legal information. John W. Cowling is a defense attorney in Loxley, Baldwin County, Alabama. He will consult with you and go over all your options, then protect your rights in court. So If this Memorial Day Weekend didn't go as you had planned, and you got in trouble with the law, do yourself a favor and call the law office of John W. Cowling today 251-947-7667

As always, holiday weekends are a perfect time for police to increase their presence on the roadways. Do yourself a favor and take the extra time and make sure you are aware of any steps you can take to avoid unwanted police troubles while traveling this weekend. Before hitting the roadway, double check your plate and brake lights, locate and create quick access to your insurance, license and registration- keep your inspection stickers up to date (and license plates). Equipment violations are a great way to find yourself pulled over. Avoid giving the police a chance to legally stop you by making sure that your lights are working and any equipment issues have been addressed before heading out. As always have a safe and hassle-free weekend!