Before the year ends, Congress must decide whether to make an emergency order by the Drug Enforcement Agency permanent. People in South Carolina who are facing charges related to selling drugs may only have sold small amounts to friends. Critics of the temporary DEA order and other drug laws say they penalize these users and sellers while failing to target big dealers.
Racial disparity persists in criminal justice system
Racial disparities continue to affect the criminal justice system in South Carolina and across the United States. Despite highly publicized issues drawing attention to racial bias in criminal prosecution and sentencing, black people are still much more likely to be incarcerated across the country. While statistics show that racial differences have narrowed in the past 16 years in local jails and state prisons, disturbing trends continue to exist. According to the Council on Criminal Justice, the biggest decline in racial disparity was shown in cases involving drug offenses. These cases have been highlighted particularly in campaigns pressing for reform of the criminal justice system, especially as they often involve nonviolent offenders.
Five men charged with murdering USC student
Five men have been charged in connection with the murder of a University of South Carolina student. The 22-year-old Columbia man was shot and killed on March 26 in his off-campus residence. The arrests, which were announced by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 22, were the result of an investigation that lasted eight months. Four of the men have been charged with murder and armed robbery. The fifth man, who police believe fired the fatal shot, has been charged with murder and possessing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
How will RICO laws affect your criminal defense?
Whether it came as a surprise to you or not, the day police or government agents swarmed into your place of business and arrested you for participating in organized crime may have been one of the darkest days of your life. Not only did it place your personal future at risk but also the future of your business and subsequently, the well-being of your family who depends on it.
