Philip E. Mullin, lawyers in El Paso, TX, Texas

A DEFENDANT'S RIGHT TO A SPEEDY TRIAL

A defendant is guaranteed the right to a speedy trial under the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. In addition, states have provisions in their constitutions that guarantee the same right. More...

HUNG JURY

A jury is required to render a unanimous verdict in a criminal trial. If the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the jury is considered to be a hung jury. A trial court must declare a mistrial in the event of a hung jury. More...

CLEMENCY FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

In some states, legislatures have recently enacted laws that grant the possibility of clemency by the states' governors for domestic violence victims who have been convicted of certain offenses, such as murder and manslaughter. In those states, the governors are entitled to request a clemency investigation by the states' parole boards into cases where defendants have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of those offenses when the offenses were directly related to the defendants' being victimized by domestic violence. More...

Witness Immunity From Prosecution

A witness may be granted immunity from prosecution by way of federal or state law. Immunity is granted in exchange for a witness's testimony about a certain event. There are two types of immunity available, use immunity or transactional immunity. More...

ELIGIBILITY FOR PAROLE

A prisoner is generally eligible for parole after the prisoner has served an amount of his or her sentence that is in accordance with a state's statutes. The prisoner's eligibility for parole also depends upon the amount of good conduct time that the prisoner has earned during his or her incarceration. A prisoner who is serving a death sentence is not eligible for parole. A prisoner who is serving a life sentence may not be eligible for parole until he or she serves a minimum term of imprisonment, such as 40 or 50 years, depending upon the state's statutes. Also, a prisoner who is convicted of certain offenses, such as murder, aggravated robbery, or aggravated sexual assault, may not be eligible for parole until he or she has served a minimum term of imprisonment.More...