When someone is accused of a crime, they will typically be arrested and charged in court. Strangely, if any physical property is believed to be tied in with the crime, it too may end up heading to the police station under the asset forfeiture laws of California. This strange process has its roots in English […]
Who Are The Worst Fictional Lawyers of All Time?
Always do your research when looking for the right defense lawyer because you don’t want to end up with someone inexperienced. Still, even the average not-so-great real-life attorney will have nothing on these famous bad lawyers. If they were real rather than just existing in TV shows, these lawyers wouldn’t just be the worst —they […]
Why Attorneys are Unlikely to Use an Insanity Plea in California
In movies and TV shows, lawyers are constantly arguing that their clients are not guilty by reason of insanity to allow their obviously guilty clients to spend time in an institution before quickly being shuffled back into the public. In reality, though, the insanity defense is used in less than one percent of criminal trials […]
Hazing in Vista Under California Penal Code 245.6 (PC)
One of the first things people associate with fraternities is the centuries-old tradition of hazing new pledges. Still, after multiple students died during hazing activities over the years, many states, including California, started banning dangerous initiation rituals. While not all forms of hazing are illegal, those likely to result in injuries are. If you have […]
CSI in Real Life Vs TV: 8 Common Myths
Crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Dexter, Law & Order, and Criminal Minds have allowed the public to explore the work of forensic science labs. The only problem? What makes for good television doesn’t reflect the realities of crime scene investigation units. Many investigation techniques seen on screen are exaggerated or outright fabricated. Unfortunately, many jurors […]
Can You Be Forced to Testify Against Your Spouse?
Many people understand that spouses can’t be forced to testify against one another, but the ins and outs of marital privilege are a bit complex. Since we’ve previously discussed how privileged communications work between lawyers and clients, patients and therapists, doctors and patients, and priests and worshipers, it seems only appropriate to discuss the marital […]
What Interrogation Techniques do Police Use?
When you are accused of a crime, the police will often work on coaxing you to confess —even if you didn’t actually do it. To do this, police officers rely on several tried and true interview techniques, such as the well-known good cop/bad cop technique. While a skilled criminal defense attorney may be able to […]
What is Mayhem Under California Law?
The crime of mayhem, defined under California Penal Code section 203 (PC), refers to maliciously disfiguring or disabling another person. When someone commits mayhem intending to disfigure or dismember another person, they can be charged with aggravated mayhem under California Penal Code 205 (PC). Several details distinguish this offense from torture and the less serious […]
What Happens if a Conjoined Twin Commits a Crime?
English jurist William Blackstone famously stated, “It is better than ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” That line of thinking is what makes it so fascinating to contemplate what penalties would be fair if one conjoined twin breaks the law. After all, punishing the guilty twin would invariably mean punishing the innocent […]
Fighting Pimping and Pandering Charges in California
In Hollywood movies, a pimp is someone who forces someone to sell their body for sex and then takes all of their money. These fictional pimps are willing to beat, drug, and even rape women to exert control over them. While this does occasionally happen in reality, pimping is often less clear-cut. Even friends of […]
