The rising prevalence of police body cameras brings with it a number of important legal considerations. While bodycams still are not the norm – a 2013 study found that only an estimated 25% of police departments across the country implemented a body cam program – they seem to be on their way to widespread adoption....
Read MoreIf you asked the average citizen to name some of the most dangerous drugs, heroin and morphine are likely to come up on the list, and with good reason. However, there is one drug that is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and its...
Read MoreKeying the car of someone who angered you - Leaving a foul-smelling substance in a co-worker’s office - Breaking off a piece of your neighbor’s fence. All of these are examples of criminal damage to property, and while they might seem like small annoyances to some, they can lead to serious consequences if the person...
Read MoreWhen a defendant receives a felony conviction, it is not necessarily true that you will have to spend any time in prison at all. The vast majority of felony cases handled by result in no jail time. But there are however many circumstances for which certain crimes require a mandatory minimum sentence. When such an...
Read MoreCocaine, methamphetamines, heroin, and many other “controlled substances” are illegal in Illinois and getting involved with them can land you in serious legal trouble. State law has different penalties for different drug-related crimes and it is important for Illinois citizens to know and understand how the state defines these crimes. Here is the difference between...
Read MoreThe death of a child is always tragic, especially when it is preventable. This includes incidents of vehicular heatstroke, otherwise known as “hot car deaths.” These are incidents wherein a child is left inside a vehicle for too long and develops hyperthermia. According to KidsAndCars.org, which gathers data on injuries and deaths of children caused...
Read MoreThe Second Amendment to the US Constitution has been interpreted as granting citizens “the right to bear arms.” However, that freedom is not absolute: every state has its own laws regulating weapons use, as well as its own penalties for breaking said laws. Illinois courts separate these crimes into a few categories, including “unlawful use...
Read MoreTheft, also known as larceny, is a crime almost anywhere you go. However, different states have different views on the severity of the sentence for the crime. Further complicating matters, Illinois courts consider some instances of theft to be worse than others and therefore warranting more jail time and heftier fines for convicted defendants. Here...
Read MoreWhat is Considered Criminal Trespassing? Criminal trespassing can, at its simplest, be defined as being on someone else’s property while knowing that you do not have permission to be there. It may not seem like a major offense, but it can be serious in the eyes of Illinois law. Depending on the circumstances, trespassers could...
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