New laws will clear N.J. criminal records for weed and allow people on parole to vote

December 19, 2019

Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Some 80,000 people in New Jersey will have their voting rights restored and more will see their criminal records expunged, thanks to two bills Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Wednesday. “Today is not just about writing a new chapter of New Jersey history,” Murphy told…

Recovery and Relapse: Reprinted from the White Booklet Narcotics Anonymous

October 3, 2019

Recovery and Relapse Reprinted from the White Booklet Narcotics Anonymous This is NA Fellowship-approved literature. Copyright © 1976, 1986 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Many people think that recovery is simply a matter of not using drugs. They consider a relapse a…

For Drug Court Graduates, Alternative Sentencing Yields Second Chances

October 3, 2019

Twenty-one convicted, non-violent felons found their dignity and a renewed purpose without going to jail. By Matt Skoufalos Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Drug Court graduates. Credit: Matt Skoufalos. “It’s a shame you have to pick up a felony to get into drug court,” said Camden County Assistant Deputy Public Defender Daniel…

Project SAVE: Progressive Policing Expands Scope of Addictions Intervention

October 3, 2019

Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark By bringing in treatment advocates at the point of arrest, Gloucester Township Police have reduced recidivism rates for drug crimes and built a program ready to expand county-wide. By Matt Skoufalos | September 1, 2016  Gloucester Township Police vehicle. Credit: Matt Skoufalos. Focusing on “third-gear” policing…

Camden County to Expand Project SAVE Courtroom Advocacy Program to 20 Towns in 2019

October 3, 2019

Begun in 2014 in Gloucester Township, where crime has fallen 34 percent since its rollout, the ‘third-gear policing’ project provides counseling interventions for people charged in addictions-related cases. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Camden County saw 277 overdose deaths last year, and has logged 231 so far in 2018. Nationally, overdoses…

Project SAVE, Started In Gloucester Twp., To Be Tested Countywide

October 3, 2019

The county is launching a one-year pilot program in which advocates will be placed in municipal courtrooms to help low level drug offenders. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A drug treatment program Gloucester Township has been using since 2014 is now being tested as a pilot program…

Adequate probable cause found by trial court when police officer directly observed the drug transaction.

September 20, 2019

Adequate probable cause found by trial court and affirmed on appeal when police officer directly observed the defendant involved in a drug transaction. STATE OF NEW JERSEY, v. DARRELL M. HALL, SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION Decided September 18, 2019 Mercer County, Indictment No. 15-04-0554. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark.…

State v. Richardson: Possession of Heroin

September 1, 2019

State v. Richardson.  SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION  Decided August 30, 2019 Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. I Procedural History : Defendant William Richardson was indicted by an Ocean County grand jury and charged with third degree possession of heroin, N.J.S.A. 2C:35- 10(a)(1), third degree conspiracy to possess heroin, N.J.S.A.…

State v. Johnson — Appeal New Jersey Appellate Division August 9, 2019

August 10, 2019

Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Johnson Facts: As of that time, he had been on the police force for over five years, initially as a patrolman and thereafter as a detective in the Narcotics/Gang Unit. Officer Stinsman had been specifically trained at the police academy to recognize hand-to-hand narcotics…

Unlawful Possession of Drugs in a Motor Vehicle

July 4, 2019

State of NJ vs Haas (Not Approved for Publication by the New Jersey Appellate Division July 2, 2019) Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. How can the police prove I have certain drugs and can they charge me with unlawful possession or NJSA 39:4-49.1 (Drugs in a Motor Vehicle)? New Jersey’s Net…