One of the most surprising things you might hear after being charged for a crime you didn’t commit is that someone saw you do it. How could that be possible? If you were walking out of a store when someone else was robbing it, or if you were miles away, how could someone say they’d seen you?
The problems with eyewitness testimony
Understanding your Miranda rights
Police shows on television have made most of us familiar with the phrase "You have the right to remain silent," but unless you have experience with the criminal justice system, you have probably not given much thought to what the phrase means.
State representative charged with drunk driving and other crimes
State lawmakers have an important role to play in Indiana's government, but occasionally, some legislators exaggerate their importance and forget that the law applies to them, too. The Democratic legislator who represents most of Indianapolis was recently arrested for alcohol-related crimes and for impersonating a police officer.
Indiana unintentional accidents crimes
Sometimes mistakes are made. Mistakes can be relatively minor and not harm anyone except perhaps, the person who made the mistake. However, mistakes may be made that lead to the death of another person. If a person causes the death of another person, but had no intention of doing so, can they be charged with a crime?
Penalties associated with drunk driving in Indiana
In Indiana and the rest of the country, the highest blood alcohol concentration level with which a driver can operate a vehicle is 0.08. Operating a vehicle with BAC above this level is an offense. In fact, during zero-tolerance drives and for underage drivers, the BAC limit is 0.02. Also, if a driver's BAC is found to be more than 0.15, that driver can expect to face enhanced penalties. In Indiana, the term used for drunk driving offenses is "operating while intoxicated," or OWI.
A unique initiative for those accused of domestic violence
Incidents of domestic violence are a serious concern, both for the public and for authorities. While there are many organizations and programs that offer support to the victims of domestic violence, there are hardly any initiatives that reach out to those who have been accused of domestic violence. Sadly, domestic violence often stems from some serious personal issues, such as emotional/financial duress or alcohol/drug addiction, which make it all the more important to provide support to the accused.
Conviction is not necessarily the end of the road
Criminal charges and subsequent convictions are universally feared because of the doom that it can cast on the future of the person who has been convicted. The difficult aftereffects of a criminal conviction are felt not only by the person who has been convicted but also by that person's near and dear ones. Often, the social stigma alone is enough to bring the world crashing down around those people. Fortunately, there are certain provisions in Indiana laws under which a convicted individual can seek legal relief.
Field sobriety tests a suspected drunk driver has to take
In order to detect whether a person is driving under the influence, the first step that police officers in Indiana and elsewhere usually take is to conduct a set of three standardized field sobriety tests. Although not fully accurate, these tests allow the apprehending officer to assess reasonably whether the driver's intoxication level is within the permissible blood alcohol concentration level of 0.08.
State courts and federal courts: What are the differences?
The judiciary in the United States is divided into federal and state courts. Federal courts are under the purview of the Constitution of the United States state courts are under the purview of the state constitution, which means that Indiana state courts are under the purview of the Constitution of Indiana. There are, however, certain differences between state and federal courts, based mainly on the type of cases that are heard in each type of court or, in other words, the jurisdiction of each type of court.
Overview of Indiana insurance fraud prosecution
Insurance fraud takes place when an insured party tries to make money from an insurance policy by misrepresenting facts. Some examples of such fraud would include casualty fraud (accident injury claims), property fraud (property damage claims) and workers' compensation fraud (workplace injury or illness claims). While Indiana Code Title 27 and Indiana Administrative Code Title 760 cover the state's overall insurance laws, Indiana Code Title 35 Section 43-5-4 deals specifically with insurance fraud.
