Law Office of Geoffrey Mason - Criminal Defense

01/23/2025

2025-02-11, Gainesville, Florida

10/16/2024

Why should we care if a person who commits a crime has to pay for some services? Because the fees can be incredibly destructive. Court debt impacts more people and for a longer period of time than almost any other issue in the criminal justice system.

Our criminal justice system is nickel-and-diming people at every turn, burying them in punishing debt.

09/29/2024

Even if you’ve got nothing to hide.

09/25/2024

Florida’s 2024 legislative session saw an unprecedented and extensive wave of criminal justice reform efforts, many of which were vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The vetoes have sparked concerns from prison rights advocates and previously incarcerated individuals in Alachua County.

06/28/2024

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vetoed three criminal justice reform bills that passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support and were aimed at helping convicted felons ease back into society after serving their time.

DeSantis vetoes three criminal justice reform bills that had bi-partisan support, claims they rewarded criminals.

03/28/2024

Rest in Power recently retired Alachua County Judge Walter M. Green. He was a very good man.

03/13/2024

“Tallahassee is the poster child for a bill limiting the ability of civilians to oversee police misconduct cases locally. The measure is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis, and opinion in Tallahassee is split on it.”

Commissioner Williams-Cox: "There is a misunderstanding by some as to what this board was supposed to do"

01/25/2024

Law enforcement agencies can still access videos using a search warrant. Ring also maintains the right to share footage without user consent in limited circumstances.

Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police departments to request doorbell camera footage from users.

01/03/2024

Notwithstanding the fact that our U.S. Constitution's 8th Amendment strictly prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, Tirzah Christopher reports for NPR on the shocking lack of transparency and accountability from Federal Bureau of Prisons with very little scrutiny of supposedly 'natural' deaths behind bars.

Autopsies are not required for federal prison deaths that are classified as natural. NPR found cases where medical neglect, poor prison conditions and a lack of resources contributed to these deaths.

12/09/2023

NBC News found 216 shootings by officers working for or with the FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals from 2018 to 2022. Many got little to no public attention when they happened.

12/09/2023

Despite nearly 30 years of demands for transparency, the DOJ's law enforcement agencies release little data about whom they shoot, why and when, and they rarely use body cameras.

12/09/2023

The district attorney in Atlanta who criminally charged Donald Trump is trying to hold federal law enforcement officials accountable after lethal shootings.