Criminal Defense

Not every relationship is smooth sailing. In fact, most of us have to go through some amount of disagreement while we figure out how to communicate with a partner in a romantic relationship. This is especially true when people are trying to figure out how to live together in a long-term domestic situation. While many couples are able to figure each other out over time, either on their own or with the help of couple’s therapy, this is not the case for every couple. Some situations end up devolving into domestic violence, where one partner abuses the other. In such cases, abused partners may elect to leave and seek protection under the law. This is where criminal protective orders come into play. What are they and how do they work? Is it difficult to obtain a protective order? Here are a few things you need to know if you find […]

As the opioid crisis continues to unfold across the country, South Carolina has seen a devastating increase of overdose-related hospitalizations and deaths over the past few years. According to SC DHEC, deaths caused by overdoses numbered about 550 in 2016, showing an increase of nearly 20% in just two years. As the United States begins to reckon with the long-term effects of prescription drug abuse and opioid addiction, we have also seen increasing situations where witnesses to an opioid overdose don’t call for help until it’s too late because they are worried about being charged with a crime themselves. Can a friend or loved one safely call 911 for someone overdosing, without getting into legal trouble? Does South Carolina have a Good Samaritan law regarding drug overdoses? Let’s take a look at how Good Samaritan laws in South Carolina work, what they cover, and what to do if you witness someone who […]

The recent prison riot at Lee Correctional Institute in Bishopville seems to have begun as a dispute over gang territory and contraband like cell phones. It ended with seven inmates dead and seventeen more injured, after a staff of forty-four guards found themselves trying to maintain order in a prison that houses nearly 1,600 men. The riot and its aftermath exposed a serious problem with understaffing in both South Carolina prisons and in the prison system nationwide. Some prisoners’ rights activists like those at the National Action Network have asserted that the prisoners’ right to safety was violated by the circumstances that led to last week’s riot. We’ve heard more than a few people ask: Do prisoners have rights? What can a prisoner or their family do if they feel their civil rights were violated?