North Carolina Criminal Law

This morning Jamie Markham and I loaded a passenger van with a group of district court judges who had come to the SOG for a week-long orientation course. We hauled […]

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Suppose a defendant is convicted of a class I felony and has a prior record level of I. That’s a “C” block on the felony sentencing grid, where only community […]

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It seems to be getting harder, not easier, to say what it means to abscond from probation.

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A special purpose extension of probation is permitted only for certain specified purposes. According to a case decided earlier this week, substance abuse treatment isn’t one of them.

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A probation violation need not be alleged with the technical precision of an indictment, but there are still some rules about the right way to prepare a probation violation report.

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If you’ve noticed an uptick in probation hearings on extensions, today’s post may help explain why. As of last month, Community Corrections will no longer seek ordinary extensions of probation […]

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“Arrest on first positive drug screen. $50,000 secured bond.” “Hold without bond for any probation violation.” May a judge sentencing a defendant to probation include instructions such as these in […]

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Since 2009, all North Carolina probationers are subject to a regular condition of probation allowing warrantless searches of their person, vehicle, and premises by a probation officer. Under legislation passed […]

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I can’t be the only one who has a tough time keeping track of what sanctions are permissible in response to different types of probation violations in different types of […]

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In North Carolina, probationers, post-release supervisees, and parolees are subject to warrantless searches—sometimes by a probation-parole officer, sometimes by law enforcement officers. The statutory conditions that apply to each type […]

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