Home

Welcome to Law in Action

Law In Action (LIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Greenville, SC.  LIA currently offers these projects:

Jail Project

When someone is arrested for a minor criminal charge that carries a maximum 30 day jail sentence (e.g. disorderly conduct) and cannot afford to pay the bond to get out of jail, he will often stay in jail until his court date or until he pleads guilty. If a charged defendant asks for a jury trial, his jail stay can be months.

Before 2001 when the Law in Action jail project was started, these defendants often stayed in jail 30,40, 50 days or longer. Not only are these excessive jail stays unfair to the persons charged, they also cost Greenville county taxpayers.

Law in Action investigators visit over 1000 magistrate court detainees annually and determine if they can be safely released early. LIA talks to arresting officers, reviews police reports, calls family members and employers and reports this information to the magistrate who sets the bond. By investigating these cases, LIA has successfully reduced the number of detainees who sit in jail beyond the maximum possible sentence because they are too poor to pay a $500 bond and get out.

The jail project operates on a shoestring but saved the county over $500,000 in housing costs in a single year (2008). LIA investigators also provide important information to defendants about the criminal justice system, their right to counsel, etc.

Our county government cannot afford to be all things to all people. Non-profit groups like Law in Action need to step in and help when they have the energy and expertise to get the job done. That is what the Law in Action jail project is doing in Greenville.

Workshops

The purpose of this project is to provide information on legal topics to non-lawyers.  The topics include: job rights, civil and constitutional rights, and student rights.  Groups of 30 or more can request a workshop on the offered legal topics by contacting Law In Action.

Mock Trials

LIA offers interested classroom teachers and other groups a real life trial experience for high school age students.  Students play the roles of prosecutors and defense in cases prepared by LIA volunteers.

LIA also offers an analysis and discussion of the trial in To Kill A Mockingbird. Contact Law In Action for more information.  A partial list of cases available through LIA can be found on the Mock Trials page.

Law In Action has a limited number of bumper stickers (like the one shown above) for those who would like to display the stickers on their vehicles. If you are interested, please contact our office at 232-1330.