Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

What Is Georgia's First Offender Act? Georgia's First Offender Act is codified under the First Offender Act. It is a sentencing option that allows eligible defendants to plead guilty or nolo contendere without a formal conviction on their record. This is not a diversion program. Under this structure, the court imposes a sentence. The sentence…

No. Prostitution is a crime in Georgia. Are brothels illegal here too? Yes, and so is every other form of paid sex work. The ban reaches every county and city in the state, with no legal or regulated exception. Unlike a small number of rural counties in Nevada, Georgia offers no framework for legal prostitution.…

What Is the NCIC Database? The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a centralized criminal justice database maintained by the FBI. The agency launched it in 1967. It serves as the backbone of law enforcement information sharing across the United States. The FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division operates the system from Clarksburg, West…

Can You Get a Ticket for Having a Headlight out in Georgia? Yes, you can get a ticket for having a broken, missing, or burned-out headlight, because Georgia requires headlights to be kept in proper working condition. Officers regularly write citations for this equipment failure. Georgia requires every motor vehicle on a highway to display…

What Is a No Trespassing Order in Georgia? A no trespassing order in Georgia is not a formal court order. It is a criminal trespass warning – sometimes called a "ban letter" or criminal trespass notice. A property owner or authorized person gives this notice to someone they want to keep off their property. Once…

What Is Odometer Fraud? Odometer fraud – also called odometer tampering or "clocking" – means changing a car's mileage to fool a buyer. A seller may roll back, disconnect, reset, or simply misrepresent the number. The goal is to hide how far the vehicle has actually travelled. That inflates the resale price, and it conceals…

What Is the MADD Victim Impact Panel? The MADD Victim Impact Panel is a court-ordered class. People convicted of drunk driving sit and listen while crash victims tell their stories. Court paperwork and search results often spell the program out in full, as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD Victims Impact Panel. It is the…

The Short Answer: A DUI Conviction Cannot Be Expunged in Georgia Which charges count as misdemeanors matters for record restriction. See our list of misdemeanors in Georgia for the common ones. People searching for DUI expungement in Georgia usually want one thing. They want the arrest and the conviction gone from background checks. Georgia law…

The Baseline: What Georgia Requires Before Any Aggravation Drivers arrested in Atlanta, Marietta, Decatur, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, or Jonesboro ask our DUI attorneys the same first question. How much will this cost me, and am I going to jail? If you are convicted of DUI, your fine and jail time will be increased if certain facts…

What Does 'Too Fast for Conditions' Mean in Georgia? 'Too Fast for conditions' means driving at a speed that is unsafe for current road, weather, traffic, or visibility conditions – even if the driver is at or below the posted speed limit. This charge differs from a standard speeding ticket. A regular speeding citation targets…