Fraternity hazing can be a violent and sometimes deadly activity. As the problem has grown more serious, states (including Pennsylvania) have enacted specific laws to address hazing. Last fall, two former Pennsylvania State University (PSU) students pled guilty to 14...
It’s easy to feel pressured to answer when the police start asking questions about a criminal investigation. You might worry that staying silent makes you look guilty, but it doesn’t. The law is quite clear on this. You have the right to remain silent, and exercising...
A straw purchase refers to a scenario where one person buys a firearm for someone else. The person who makes the purchase never intends to keep the weapon, but transfers it immediately to the other party. This label doesn’t apply in all situations. There are some...
With many criminal charges, you actually have to commit the crime to be arrested. You’re not going to get arrested for thinking about drunk driving, for example. You actually have to be in control of the vehicle when the police demonstrate that you are over the legal...
You hear a knock on the door and you look out the front window before opening it. There’s a police car sitting in the driveway, so you know that an officer is likely standing on your front step. You open the door just a crack to talk to them. The officer tells you...
When there’s an emergency, people will sometimes do things they wouldn’t do otherwise. They may bend or break the rules as they try to react to this emergency. In some cases, people will even decide that they’re going to break the law, which they never would’ve done...
Mitigating factors, also known as extenuating circumstances, are facts that relate to a crime or a convicted defendant and support the argument for leniency. These factors are presented in court to reduce someone’s sentence after a conviction. For example, imagine...
Never underestimate how enthusiastically most prosecutors in the nation perform their duties. Since crimes of violence, including assault, are deemed particularly heinous, you can expect the prosecutor in your case to seek conviction aggressively. Like many states,...
Every state tries to do a balancing act between the right to bear arms and the need to control how firearms are handled for the sake of the general population’s safety. It’s important to understand that what you may consider a harmless (or even celebratory) discharge...
The U.S. Constitution offers several protections for citizens and residents alike. Specifically, The 4th Amendment protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. This means that the police cannot search your property without a valid warrant or reasonable cause for...