If your teenager gets into legal trouble, you may feel they should pay for their offense. Young offenders should take responsibility for their actions, but not by risking their entire futures. Unfortunately, this often happens when juvenile offenders are punished by...
If you are charged with an offense but qualify for bail, you will be required to attend court for a hearing or trial at some later date. But what happens if you fail to honor your commitment to the court? Basically, several things will happen if you unlawfully miss...
You would never intentionally steal from anyone, let alone the company that employs you. You have a strong sense of personal ethics and want to see your employer thrive, especially if you have a well-compensated professional position. However, access to a company...
When the charges you face are reduced, you will be charged with less serious crimes, which is good news for you. There are several reasons why the prosecution may choose to reduce your charges. As a result, you could end up serving a considerably lighter sentence with...
Many people assume that those who “plead the Fifth,” or invoke their Fifth Amendment rights when under law enforcement questioning or when testifying in court or other legal proceedings are guilty of some sort of crime. After all, the Fifth Amendment states that no...
Could you be arrested for involvement in a crime you knew nothing about until after it occurred? It’s possible that you could be charged with being an accessory after the fact. Just learning that a friend or acquaintance committed a crime and not reporting it likely...
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects people in the United States from unreasonable searches. The police can't just go into a random person's home or vehicle to look for a way to accuse them of a crime. Typically, police officers either need enough...
The courts like to use plea deals for many reasons, such as cutting back on the amount of cases they have to schedule and getting results without a trial. Essentially, you’ll be told that you can plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to have the greater charge...
In the movies, police officers tend to start reciting a person’s Miranda Rights as they arrest them. While putting on the handcuffs, an officer will say that the person has a right to remain silent and that anything they say can be used against them in court. In real...
Most criminal trials in Louisiana involve a process called "discovery." This process allows the court to learn more about the case and gather important context. Typically, this involves witnesses, specialists and character witnesses testifying in court. What could the...