Yes, any person who is newly admitted as an inmate to a jail facility in Minnesota has a right to make either a local or collect long-distance phone call. The right to make a phone call from jail allows you to contact either a family member or a significant other and [...]
Before the police can conduct a pat frisk, there must first be a lawful investigative stop. Police are allowed to temporarily detain a person or stop a car when there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been or is being committed. The standard is less than the probable cause required for an [...]
If a person has been arrested in Minnesota, the goal is to have bail set in the lowest possible amount in order to expedite release from custody. Why is it so important for a defendant to be released from jail while his case is pending? The main reason of course is to be able to return to your employment and prevent job loss. The second reason is to be [...]
A licensed peace officer may arrest a person in Minnesota without a warrant under the following circumstances: (1) A person who commits a public offense observed by the police officer may be arrested without a warrant. If the offense is a misdemeanor, the law requires that the person be released on a citation unless it [...]
Most people want to tell the truth. It’s in our nature. A confession to the police acknowledges our wrongdoing. When we confess, the weight of the world is lifted off our shoulders. We feel better inside, especially when the confession is given to an authority figure like a police officer. We are taught from childhood [...]
Stay calm; don't get out of the car. Let the police officer come to you. Locate your license and registration as you will need to have it ready to hand over to the officer. You don't want to be observed fumbling around for these items as the officer will note this fact in his report [...]
CONSENT SEARCHES. You may be asked by a police officer to consent to the search of your person, home, or car. What should you do? Just say no. DO NOT sign a Consent to Search form. The police will make all kinds of dire threats to gain your consent to search, such as: (1) we [...]
In Minnesota, the entrapment defense may be used in a criminal case to combat government overreaching and obtain an acquittal. In order to prevail on the defense, a defendant will need to establish by a "fair preponderance of the evidence" that the government induced him to commit the crime. Inducement occurs [...]
Are you charged with a controlled substance crime in Minnesota that calls for a prison commit? Are there no defenses in your case and you are about to give up all hope? Help is on the way. You just need to prove to an open-minded judge at the time of sentencing that you are "particularly [...]
The answer to this question depends on whether or not your confession was voluntary. The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not allow the prosecution to use an involuntary confession against you at trial. When determining voluntariness, Minnesota courts look to see if the defendant's will was overborne at the time of the confession by the police through the use of [...]
