The California Board of Parole Hearings, commonly known as the Board of Parole or BPH, is the division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that is responsible for determining parole suitability for inmates in California. The Board holds hearings for inmates who are serving indeterminate sentences, such as…
On October 8, 2023, California took a significant stride in criminal justice reform with the enactment of Assembly Bill 600, widely referred to as “AB 600”. This legislative development, approved by Governor Newsome, marks a paradigm shift in the state’s approach to resentencing hearings for inmates, introducing the concept of…
What Is AB 256? Senate Bill 256 is a bill introduced by State Assemblymember Ash Kalra of the 27th Assembly District. The bill builds upon a prior law, the California Racial Justice Act, which precludes the government from making any prosecutorial or sentencing decisions based on the race, ethnicity or…
ABC7 publishes an article covering California Criminal Appeals attorney, Matthew Barhoma’s work in a re-sentencing of his client pursuant to Penal Code 1170(d)(1) and AB 2942. The article highlights a recent success for Power Trial Lawyers, P.C., where the Firm successfully reduced a client’s sentence just mere 9 months after…
California Criminal Appeals Lawyer Comments on Recent Criminal Justice Headlines Recently, Attorney Matthew Barhoma, appeared on Court TV to discuss several of the nation’s highest-profile criminal cases. Ahmaud Arbery Earlier this year, three White men who were previously convicted for the February 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced by…
Power Trial Lawyers, P.C., client, Earl Snoddy, is resentenced by the state court, making him a free man just 9 months after retaining Power Trial Lawyers, P.C., the leading California Appeals and Post-Conviction law firm. Mr. Earl Snoddy spent 27-years behind bars. Power Trial Lawyers, P.C. successfully recalled his sentence…
The effects of a felony conviction are severe and remain with you for life. However, by obtaining a certificate of rehabilitation, inmates can regain many of the liberties they’ve been deprived of due to their conviction. While certificates of rehabilitation are not new, by any means, they are underutilized, in…
Below are recent changes introduced by way of a Senate Bill: Senate Bill 180 Effective: January 1, 2018. Notable Changes: Previously, if you were convicted of a drug trafficking offense, the judge could impose consecutive three-year enhancements for each prior drug trafficking offense. Under SB 180, only those prior offenses…
The writ of habeas corpus, or the “Great Writ” as it is also known, is a powerful tool. The writ of habeas corpus calls for the review of an individual’s incarceration, requiring the government to justify why it is holding someone in custody. When properly used, a writ of habeas…
Recently, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of Jones v. Mississippi. The case required the Court to determine the proper procedure that a court must follow when sentencing a juvenile offender to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Historically, juveniles were frequently charged…