Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog

High school hazing, depending on who you ask, may be described as a “rite of passage,” a “mostly harmless tradition,” or “just a part of growing up.” In recent years, however, high school hazing has been getting more attention and is now recognized as an act of bullying that sometimes even crosses over into criminal…

state-by-state basis. For example, 22 states and the District of Columbia have some form of a mandatory arrest law, which means that police must make an arrest if there is probable cause that an act of domestic violence has occurred (in some cases, they will actually arrest both people believed to have been involved in…

The harsh penalties for possession of marijuana in Illinois have recently come under fire for a number of reasons. Many believe that charging individuals for misdemeanor marijuana possession, which is the leading arrest category in Chicago, is a waste of police time and tax dollars. Across the country, attitudes towards marijuana are shifting in favor…

Because children lack the same life experience as adults and because their brains have not yet fully developed, they are typically treated differently than adults in the criminal justice system. While juveniles can be tried as adults depending on the nature of their criminal charge, courts generally take a defendant’s age into account when determining…

Stalking is a crime that many people think they understand based on TV and movie representations. To many people, a stalker is a mentally unhinged person who obsessively follows another person and causes their victim to fear for their safety. In Illinois, though, the definition of criminal stalking is much broader than that and encompasses…

We all have a sense of what the crime of burglary entails—based on representations in TV, movies, and the news, most of us think of burglary as occurring when a masked criminal breaks into a stranger’s home in the middle of the night. However, the actual definition of burglary in the state of Illinois encompasses…

Recent changes in Illinois law to allow people to buy, sell, and grow medical marijuana have proponents excited for the future. But even though the state has relaxed many of its laws related to marijuana, don’t make the mistake of thinking that it is completely legal now. There are still a number of restrictions in…

If you were to poll a random sampling of people about the purpose of prison, you’d probably get a wide range of responses, but one common answer you might hear is “rehabilitation.” In theory, someone serving a prison sentence is “paying their debt to society” and, if released, will get the opportunity to start over…

You might scoff at the idea that someone could “accidentally shoplift” – until you mistakenly do it yourself. Maybe you had a lot on your mind while you were shopping and simply forgot to go through the checkout line. Or maybe you were shopping with your kids and failed to notice the youngest slipping a…

Illinois has historically taken a hard line when it comes to marijuana possession, but as the national attitude towards pot shifts, legislators in our state are slowly pushing for change. Now, three bills that would effectively decriminalize possessions of small amounts of marijuana are under consideration. Here’s what you need to know about those three…