COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) And Its Impact On Your Criminal Case
As we have all been made aware, the COVID-19 (aka: Coronona Virus) pandemic is impacting everybody in the world in different ways. Businesses are shutting down and laying off their employees, gatherings of individuals are becoming increasingly limited, and special rules and procedures are being put in place to regulate the spread of the virus for entities where business must inevitably go on, to include grocery stores, gas stations, courthouses, etc.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Criminal Justice System
The impact this is having on the criminal justice system is unprecedented. Not only has something like this never happened before, but most people could never have imagined that it. Courts have limited in-person hearings and are arranging for hearings to be conducted by video or telephone conference. Most non-substantive matters and those with individuals on bail are being continued. There is no telling at this point how long these changes will remain in place, nor is there any way to predict future orders that court may issue. Lawyers continue to monitor changes on a daily basis.
The Impact of the COVID-19 on the Prisons or Penal System
Another collateral consequence of the virus is that many prisons are limiting the ability of the attorneys to visit with clients. Some facilities have suspended visits for a period of time, and others have placed restrictions on the time, place and manner in which lawyer can visit. In an abundance of caution, attorneys are also limiting the amount of in-person contact with potential and current clients, and their family members, at the office. This is needed for lawyers to protect themselves, their own families, and of course, the legal staff. Statistically, with confirmed cases of the virus multiplying daily, the future impact of the virus on the country and legal system are unknown.
Our Office is Open, Fully Staffed and Offering Phone and Video Consultations
Although your court date may get continued and the resolution of your case, whether by dismissal, plea or trial, may progressively be delayed, please know that our office is open each day, fully staffed and continuously working for our clients.
Although in-person communications regarding your case will be limited, we will always communicate with you regarding important updates and developments and remain in contact with prosecutors and courts in our best effort to keep your case moving. Our office is making every effort to use this time to our advantage. As lawyers, we spend much of our time throughout the day in court. With courts partially shut down to handle normal daily business, we have turned our attention inward to working more in the office on our cases. The success of our firm over the last several years, and the high demand for our services that consistently achieves excellent results, has enabled us to maintain our office and staff throughout this time, even if the pandemic goes on for an extended period of time. We are not taking time away from work or treating this like a vacation. We are giving extra attention to each of our respective cases in order to give us and our clients the best tactical advantage once the courts fully reopen for business.
As a practical matter, the courts cannot continue your cases forever. This will inevitably result in a backlog of cases and the judicial system being unable to manage its day-to-day operations due to limited space, resources and court personnel. A mechanism must be put in place to resolve cases, which has not been done yet. The world is in a panic, but the criminal justice system still needs to function for our society to maintain its safety and integrity.
The Law Office of John L. Calcagni III, Inc. is tracking all courts orders related to this virus very closely and is keeping the wheels of our machine turning for its clients. Unfortunately, some things are beyond our control, and may continue to be, but we will not let this pandemic affect the lives and liberties of our clients.
If you are a current or potential client, and you and your family needs assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. If you have any questions about your case, this change in circumstances and/or its impact on your specific case, call us right away. Otherwise, we will continue to keep everybody updated on the day-to-day changes relating to their individual cases.