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Underage drinking is all too common in today’s world. According to reports from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 58 percent of teens have had a drink by the time they reach the age of 18. This may be a result of high school parties in which alcohol is present or it may be attributed to moving away from home and going to college by the age of 18. Regardless of when it starts, binge drinking is extremely common between the ages of 12 and 20, forming bad habits before juveniles even reach the legal drinking age. Those individuals under the age of 21 often fail to recognize the ramifications that underage drinking can have on their future and their criminal record. Criminal charges may include alcohol consumption, but there are also a number of offenses that do not require any alcohol to be consumed.
Since the 1970s, the federal government has been running what has been dubbed the “War on Drugs.” This movement began decades ago but is still evolving today. Around the time the War on Drugs was declared, the federal Controlled Substances Act was signed into law, creating “schedules” of different drugs based on their purported medical use and potential for abuse. States followed by creating their own criminal laws concerning controlled substances, with many of these laws criminalizing possession as well as the sale of certain drugs. Depending on the circumstances, these offenses can be charged as felonies. However, in some situations, probation may be an option.
In Illinois, it is not uncommon for a drug possession charge to be classified as a felony. Marijuana is still federally illegal, but recreational cannabis is now legal to purchase, possess, and use in Illinois. Other controlled substances, however, are not legal, possession of these substances can result in criminal charges. You could be charged with felony possession of a controlled substance for:
In the early 1970s, the federal government passed the Education Amendments of 1972, the most well known of which is Title IX. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in higher education. One of the major issues that Title IX combats is how cases of sexual assault are handled when they arise on college campuses. Unfortunately, violent crimes on college campuses are not uncommon. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), around 11 percent of college students become victims of sexual violence while they are in school. Because of this, sexual violence at colleges and universities is taken very seriously. In Illinois, a person who is charged with a sexually violent crime, such as sexual assault, may face prison time, fines, and other penalties, including the requirement to register as a sex offender in some cases. If you have been accused of sexual assault, an Illinois criminal defense lawyer can help you navigate your case.
Being involved in a car accident can rattle you to the core, causing you to behave in ways that you normally would not. With adrenaline pumping through your veins, your body tells you that you have two options: stay and deal with the situation or run. If you are confused and scared by the situation, you might panic and leave the crash site. Fleeing the scene of a car accident is never a good idea and, in fact, is illegal in Illinois. If you have been accused of leaving the scene of an auto accident, you can face serious criminal penalties.
In the state of Illinois, traffic laws govern what motorists must do after being involved in a vehicle collision. Even though the consequences for fleeing the scene depend on the type of accident, there are specific actions that Illinois law requires all drivers to do, including:
Being charged with any type of violent crime in Illinois can be a scary situation. The uncertainty of the outcome of your case can be a major source of stress for you and your family. Assault and battery are two of the most common violent crimes that occur in Illinois. Depending on the circumstances of the case, you could face a felony charge and many years in prison if convicted. When you are accused of using a weapon during an assault or battery, your penalties often change and become even more serious. The use of a weapon almost always classifies assault and battery charges as aggravated assault or aggravated battery, both of which come with severe criminal consequences.
Assault is a crime that occurs when a person does something that makes another person reasonably believe that he or she will be physically harmed. Typically, basic assault is classified as a Class C misdemeanor. However, when a person uses a firearm or other weapon during the assault, the charge is elevated to aggravated assault.
There are many ways that you could lose your driver's license in Illinois, but by far, the most common way Illinois motorists lose their driving privileges is by being arrested and/or convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol. According to the Illinois Secretary of State, there were more than 26,000 DUI arrests across the state in 2018. Of those arrested, 90 percent of the drivers who were eligible to lose their driving privileges did have their licenses suspended or revoked. It can be frustrating to deal with a driver’s license revocation, but it can be even more frustrating to deal with the criminal consequences of driving while on a suspended or revoked license.
One of the most common questions people ask after they have come into contact with the criminal justice system is whether or not their criminal record can be cleared. Even if you were not actually convicted of a crime, you can have a criminal record if you were arrested or charged with a crime. This record can affect future employment opportunities, housing availability, and other people’s opinion of you. Depending on the circumstances of your case, expunging your criminal record may be an option for you.
Typically, the most favorable method of clearing your criminal record is expungement. If you are able to have your record expunged, your criminal record will be erased, as if it never existed. Because of this, there are certain requirements that your record must meet to qualify for expungement. Entries on a criminal record that qualify for expungement include:
According to the Illinois Secretary of State, more than 26,000 DUI arrests took place across the state in 2018. Drunk driving charges are taken seriously in the state of Illinois, as even a first offense could result in jail time. Being arrested for a DUI can be an intimidating experience because of the uncertainty involved, and it often leaves people with many questions. One of the most common queries people have after their DUI arrest is, “Am I still able to drive?” The answer to this question depends on a variety of factors and how you decide to handle your case. Generally, the answer is yes, with a few considerations that must be made.
If you were arrested because a police officer suspected that you were driving under the influence, you will most likely face both administrative and criminal penalties. Administrative penalties are different from criminal penalties and can run concurrently and be administered without being convicted of a crime. A DUI arrest typically results in an administrative driver’s license suspension, referred to as a statutory summary suspension.
In this day and age of ever-evolving electronics, credit card fraud is becoming increasingly more common. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were more than 133,000 reports of credit card fraud across the United States in 2017. Illinois was ranked as one of the states with the most instances of this crime, with 48 complaints out of every 100,000 residents. Though it is not usually a violent offense, credit card fraud can be damaging to the victim, as it is often related to identity theft. If you have been accused of credit card fraud in Illinois, it is crucial that you obtain legal counsel as soon as possible.
There are many different types of offenses that fall under the umbrella of credit card fraud. If you are charged with any of the following crimes, the penalties could be severe:
We all remember when we were teenagers, and in many cases, we did not make the best decisions, which may have gotten us into trouble. As a parent, you can relate to the feeling of being a juvenile, but hearing that your child has run into trouble with the law can be especially concerning. Unfortunately, teens getting into legal trouble is not uncommon. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), more than 728,000 juveniles were arrested for various crimes in 2018. One of the goals of the juvenile justice system is to help kids get on the right path in life, rather than punishing them for making mistakes. With this in mind, youth diversion programs have become a popular part of juvenile sentencing throughout Illinois and the United States.
One of the main purposes of having a juvenile participate in a diversion program is to avoid putting him or her through the traditional criminal justice system for a minor offense. Youth diversion programs vary in how they operate and are structured, but the essential goal is to provide an intensive and holistic approach to address delinquent behavior. In many situations, the adolescent's family will be included in the diversion program to help encourage their child to reform. Typical services in youth diversion programs can include:
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