For those who are not attuned to the workings of the criminal justice system, it is a common view that serious crimes must involve a level of violence. While it is true that violent crimes are taken very seriously in California, there are a number of offenses that...
Murder is, of course, a felony charge on its own. However, when someone is charged with a “felony murder,” it can be very different than what people generally think of as a murder charge. Typically, a murder charge requires intent. A person has to plan out, to some...
People who are facing criminal charges often focus on what type of sentences they may receive. While this is an important factor in developing a defense strategy, there are some other things that you need to think about as you’re creating your plan. One thing that you...
Identity theft is a serious crime. You should never use someone else’s identity for a purchase, even if you think you have permission. Doing so could come back to haunt you. Identity theft has become a more prominent issue in America because of how the way people pay...
You legally own a handgun. You mostly use it for target practice. It’s a fun pastime with your friends, and you like seeing your accuracy get better. But you also own that gun because you want to make sure you and your family are safe. The criminals have guns, after...
You can generally sort drunk driving offenses into two basic categories. The first category includes victimless crimes that involve technical infractions. An officer sees someone swerving and pulls them over, eventually arresting them because of their poor driving...
White-collar crimes are those that involve lying or otherwise defrauding an individual or business for financial gain. These crimes are generally not violent, leading to monetary loss not physical harm. As such, some may assume that the penalties are not too severe....
College is a time of learning and personal growth. Many college students change their majors or career plans as they develop better knowledge of the world around them. Other college students will experience hardship that results in them dropping out, meaning a future...
There has been considerable reporting recently on the Los Angeles Police Department’s gathering, monitoring and use of people’s social media information. The practice isn’t new. The LAPD had a place for “social media accounts” on its field interview (FI) cards at...
People may die of natural causes or they can die due to other factors. When a person’s death isn’t due to natural causes, the death is considered a homicide. However, just because a person dies by homicide doesn’t mean that a crime was committed. When a homicide...
