Minnesota Criminal Defense Lawyer Gets Imaginative During the COVID Pandemic
Prosecuting people for DWIs, Domestic Assault, Sex Crimes, Violent Crimes in Minnesota has become an industry. Minnesota has spent enormous amounts of money to prosecute these and and have trained officers to make sure that the charges stick. They have increased penalties including guaranteed jail for almost all of the cases and other requirements as well. Regardless, jail is still often the biggest concern. Jack Rice Defense has seen this across the State.
So how exactly has the pandemic impacted that? Simple. 1 in 10 people in Minnesota facilities have been diagnosed with COVID. It’s worse in some places. In Faribault, 621 have been diagnosed out of 1783. This doesn’t include the 54 staff who have also been diagnosed. I’m not even talking about those that have perished as result. In fact, it is likely that inmates will be some of the first to get the COVID vaccine out of fear of the reality. We aren’t even talking about the workhouses across State including Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.
All of this takes us to the question of jail and criminal charges here in Minnesota. The system recognizes that putting people in a cell during this time is simply dangerous. The concern is potential liability on the State’s part. As a result, Jack rice Defense has been successful at making arguments that have kept their clients out of jail. This is true even for many of those who have mandatory sentencing requirements based upon statute. As Jack put it:
“As a criminal defense lawyer, sometimes it is about the facts of the case. If so, you exploit those. Sometimes it is the law. If so, exploit that. In this case, it is the societal circumstances that we can use in our favor. It is about being imaginative. We will be. If we can’t find a door, we will look for an open window.”
If you are in a position where you could see the inside of a jail cell because of a criminal conviction, sit down with Jack and have a conversation about what he may be able to do for you.