Blog: Criminal Defense
- Everything You Need to Know About Disorderly Conduct in PA
Oct 5, 2018
While most disorderly conduct charges are considered a summary offense (or the most minor type of criminal offense in Pennsylvania) it doesn’t make facing the penalty any less scary. If you or someone you know has been charged with disorderly conduct in PA, here’s everything you need to know to handle your situation and minimize the resulting consequences. What Does Disorderly Conduct Mean? Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge that doesn’t pertain to any one...Read More about Everything You Need to Know About Disorderly Conduct in PA - What Factors Can Reduce My Criminal Charges in PA?
Oct 2, 2018
Anyone arrested for a serious crime hopes for a positive outcome if they’re convicted. But few actually know what factors are taken into consideration to determine a criminal sentence. Fortunately, Pennsylvania law requires judges to recognize various facts and situations unrelated to whether or not the defendant is actually guilty of a crime, but that could be grounds for a more lenient punishment. Mitigating vs. Aggravating Factors Judges are required to consider two types of...Read More about What Factors Can Reduce My Criminal Charges in PA? - What are Grounds for Harassment Charges in PA?
Sep 20, 2018
When you hear the term “harassment,” many people think of calling someone incessantly or using defamatory words. And while these certainly qualifies under the legal definition of harassment in PA, there are many more types of conduct that constitutes harassment which you may not realize. Or if you are aware and want to learn how to file harassment charges in PA, then you’ve also come to the right place. Here’s what you need to know...Read More about What are Grounds for Harassment Charges in PA? - What’s at Risk If You Violate Your Probation in PA
Sep 7, 2018
From intensive supervision and shock probation to unsupervised probation, there are so many different types of probation that one can serve, but each state has their own specific consequences when you violate your probation. If you’re currently on probation, you should know what’s specifically at risk if you violate your probation in PA. So What Is Probation? Probation can be defined as an alternative to imprisonment for someone who is convicted of or pleads guilty...Read More about What’s at Risk If You Violate Your Probation in PA - Charges Dismissed vs. Dropped: What’s the Difference?
Aug 31, 2018
When you’re charged with a crime, you can only hope that it will all just go away. The truth is there’s an actual possibility this could happen before ever going to trial. You’re thinking the only way to get things back to normal and move forward is if your felony charges are dropped or dismissed, and while this is true, you may not realize the different legal meanings the two words have. So what’s the...Read More about Charges Dismissed vs. Dropped: What’s the Difference? - The Real Cost of that Drink: Penalties for First & Second DUI Offense
Aug 27, 2018
While some states would regard driving under the influence as a mere traffic violation, leaving the convicted with just a slap on the wrist, in Pennsylvania, you won’t be so lucky. With DUI penalties in PA considered a criminal offense, you’re looking at serious consequences for both first and second time convictions. Choosing to drive under the influence not only puts you and others at risk on the road, but it puts you at risk...Read More about The Real Cost of that Drink: Penalties for First & Second DUI Offense - Changes To Stop Wrong Eyewitness Identifications
Jul 23, 2018
The reliability of eyewitness testimony has been a subject of intense scientific scrutiny for decades. While juries and the general public often perceive eyewitness accounts as “gold-standard” evidence, decades of cognitive science and the sobering reality of DNA exonerations have proven otherwise. The human memory is not a recording device; it is a reconstructive process that can be easily influenced by stress, environmental conditions, and suggestive investigative practices. Law enforcement in half of the states in...Read More about Changes To Stop Wrong Eyewitness Identifications - A Criminal Study Finds Errors In Some Convictions
Jul 23, 2018
One of the first studies to determine the rate of wrongful, non-murder convictions was recently conducted in Pennsylvania. The study found a slightly higher rate of mistaken convictions than in murder or capital crime cases. The Overlooked Reality of Wrongful Convictions in Non-Violent Crimes The lead researcher, a criminologist from a Pennsylvania university, created the study to focus on crimes other than homicide and rape, which he believed to be covered in other research. Under...Read More about A Criminal Study Finds Errors In Some Convictions - Associates Becoming Criminal Defendants in Fatal Overdoses
Jul 23, 2018
In Pennsylvania and across the United States, the legal response to the opioid epidemic has taken an increasingly aggressive turn. While public health initiatives aim to provide treatment and harm reduction, the judicial system has simultaneously ramped up the use of “drug-induced homicide” statutes to hold individuals criminally accountable for fatal overdoses. In Pennsylvania, this offense is codified as “Drug Delivery Resulting in Death” (DDRD) under 18 Pa. C.S. § 2506. The rise in these...Read More about Associates Becoming Criminal Defendants in Fatal Overdoses