Scott K. Spivack, lawyers in Lakeland, FL, Florida

COMMUTATION OF SENTENCE

A commutation of sentence is the reduction of a defendant's sentence by a state's governor. It is a form of clemency. A commutation does not remove any legal disabilities of the defendant's conviction. It only has the effect of reducing the defendant's original sentence. A commutation has no effect on the defendant's guilt.More...

DEFENSE OF A THIRD PERSON

A defendant is entitled to use force or deadly force against another person in order to protect a third person from the other person. The defendant must show that he or she reasonably believed that the use of force was necessary to protect the third person. More...

Punishment of Crime - An Overview

Punishment is imposed following a defendant's conviction for any crime. Such punishment is usually imposed by the judge in the trial court, although in certain cases in some jurisdictions the amount of punishment is recommended by or actually set by a jury. In all cases, the amount of punishment that may be imposed is limited by the sentencing statute associated with the crime for which the defendant has been convicted. More...

RELEASE ON PAROLE

If a state's parole board grants parole to a prisoner, custody of the prisoner is generally transferred to the state's parole board prior to the prisoner's release on parole. The prisoner is usually transferred to a residential facility or a halfway house, during which time the prisoner continues to receive credit for good conduct time. More...

Violations of the Federal Meat Inspection Act

The Federal Meat Inspection Act was passed to ensure that consumers were protected and were provided with good quality meat. The Act provides prohibitions against numerous types of conduct. More...