Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Jury Finds New Kensington Man Not Guilty of Drug Delivery Resulting in Death
You can probably think of a few movies where the climactic scene involves a jury finding someone not guilty at trial, but only a small percentage of criminal cases result in acquittals. Most cases result either in guilty pleas, sometimes involving a reduction of charges, or else in the charges getting dropped. This means… Read More »
Participants in Pittsburgh Home Health Fraud Conspiracy Sentenced to Probation and Home Detention
Almost everyone has received medical care at some point in their lives, but how many people truly understand how billing for medical services works? On the one hand, you might think you have paid your bill for an emergency room visit, only to get surprise bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars because… Read More »
What Biden’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Means for Criminal Justice Reform
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people convicted of crimes against cruel and unusual punishment, but it does not define cruel and unusual punishment in any detail. While long prison sentences, even for non-violent crimes, are hardly unusual in Pennsylvania and other states, some of the justifications for imposing these sentences… Read More »
Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty for Her Role in Synthetic Identity Fraud Conspiracy
If someone made fraudulent transactions using your social security number, you would probably find out quickly. Financial institutions are always on the lookout for fraud, and given that your bank sends you fraud alert texts when you so much as make a purchase at a Wawa outside your home county, the bank would certainly… Read More »
Do Pennsylvania’s Laissez Faire Smoking Laws Cause DUI Incidents?
Sure, there are social drinkers who have never lit a cigarette, and there are cigarette smokers who do not drink alcohol but for the most part, drinking and smoking go together. The neon signs in bars and the glow of cigarettes add to the atmosphere of conviviality. At least, that was how the old… Read More »
In DUI Cases, Whether You Injure Someone Matters More Than Prior Offenses or the Nature of the Substance
One of the many flaws of the drug education programs many of us experienced in school is that they made it sound like there are good drugs and bad drugs, that something is either a dangerous poison that only a stupid or amoral person would ingest, or else it is a harmless, beneficial medicine. … Read More »
The Drug Overdose Response Immunity Law Encourages Bystanders to Choose Compassion Over Fear
What would you do if someone appeared to be suffering a drug overdose while you were present in the same room? When someone asks you this question hypothetically, you might think that calling 911 is the obvious choice, but the way people actually respond in this situation depends on several other important details. Do… Read More »
Bystander Opioid Overdoses: Myth or Reality?
Washing your hands is an effective way of reducing your risk of exposure to a variety of harmful things, but irrational fears of contamination through accidental contact with the skin can do more harm than good. Foodborne pathogens can’t hurt you unless you ingest them; you wash your hands after handling raw chicken so… Read More »
COVID-19 in Pennsylvania Prisons: A Scary Situation
Movies and television do a good job of scaring people about what life is like in jails and prisons, from the awful food to the lack of privacy to abuse and violence at the hands of prison guards and other inmates. Perhaps a police officer even spoke at an assembly at your school, telling… Read More »
Titusville Gym Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Student
Sexual abuse of minors is very prevalent. By some estimates, one in four women and one in nine men were sexually abused before they reached adulthood. Given that most adults care so much about protecting children from abuse, and given that teachers and healthcare providers have a legal responsibility to report cases of suspected… Read More »
