CDAM to present ‘Sentencing Guidelines’ online

The Criminal Defense Association of Michigan will present the webinar “Sentencing Guidelines Part One: The Basics” on Tuesday, September 22, from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom.

This one-hour session is geared to those who are new to practice or new to criminal defense. Attendees will learn:

• The guidelines and why they matter

• What is an offense variable, and what is considered in scoring them

• How to calculate the guideline range

• How to categorize the sentencing offense

Presenting at the webinar will be Kristin LaVoy who rejoined SADO in February 2026 as the training director.  Before then, she spent nearly five years training trial defenders in Wayne County as the training director at Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit and then at the Wayne County Indigent Defense Services Department. 

Cost for the webinar is $40 for CDAM members and $50 for non-members.  To register, visit https://cdam.wildapricot.org.

Prosecutor discusses how to deal with OWI?victims Sept. 24

The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan will present a webinar on “Dealing With Victims in Serious Operating While Intoxicated Cases” Thursday, September 24, from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom.

Impaired driving cases are senseless crimes that all too often leave innocent persons seriously injured or killed. Communicating with victims of drunk and drugged driving cases can be a difficult and daunting task for prosecutors. However, it is a very important part of every prosecutor’s job and one that most likely will have a lasting impact on the victim or victim family’s experience as they navigate the criminal justice system. 

This webinar will provide specific, practical, and experience-based recommendations for how prosecutors can give the best service to victims of OWI crimes that are consistent with what is required under the Michigan Constitution and the Crime Victim’s Rights Act. Presenter Jack Arnold, Tennessee Traffic Safety Resource prosecutor, will share information to help give prosecutors the ability to more effectively prosecute difficult OWI cases without letting the process of doing so become the second worst thing that has ever happened to the victims.

To register for the webinar, visit https://michiganprosecutor.org and click on “Training Calendar.”

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