Month: May 2016

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has created a pre-trial alternative to traditional prosecution called Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition or ARD. The Pennsylvania legislature established the ARD program by enacting 234 Pa. Code Rule Chapter 3, and its primary...

Statutory mandatory minimum sentencing provisions are controversial nationwide. These laws take away discretion from judges in sentencing and prevent defendants from arguing for factors that serve to mitigate a person’s sentence. In Pennsylvania, the criminal code...

The District Attorney for Lancaster County is arguing that persons convicted of burglary should receive longer sentences. According to a news report, Craig Stedman, the Lancaster District Attorney, bemoans the fact that convicted burglars may be incarcerated for only...