For young people, the threat of jail time is often used as a deterrent as parents and the authorities attempt to warn them about the ramifications of breaking the law. If they do so anyway, jail time is then used to reform them and keep them from committing crimes in the future. But does this actually work? The opposite of the intended impact Many studies not only dispute that this works, but show that it actually has the opposite of…

It’s expected that everyone who has an income will file income tax returns unless the income is below the annual threshold for having to claim, or it is a type of income that doesn’t require reporting. It’s imperative that anyone who is having to deal with income taxes know to handle them. There are some instances in which income taxes can lead to criminal charges. Several criminal charges are possible, including those for tax evasion and tax fraud. These cases…

When it comes to teen drunk driving, parents face something of a dilemma. What can they do to make teens less likely to drink and drive without actually putting more pressure on them? No drinking For many parents, the solution they choose is to tell teenagers they cannot drink at all. That’s the law. That’s what they pick for a family rule. If they’re ever caught drinking, the parents assure the teens that they will face serious consequences. What parents…

A drug possession conviction can impact your life in many ways. From community service to prison time, there’s no shortage of potential penalties. If you find yourself heading to court to defend yourself against drug possession charges, it’s critical to implement a defense strategy to help prevent a conviction. Here are several of the most common: Unlawful search and seizure: The Fourth Amendment can do many things, including protecting you against unlawful search and seizure. Drugs found in plain view can…

Far from the sure-fire way to catch criminals it appears to be on television, the misapplication of forensic science is actually one of the biggest contributing factors to wrongful convictions. Research has shown that many forensic techniques applied in criminal investigations are not reliable, despite being portrayed to a jury as strong evidence of guilt. For example, bite mark comparisons are notoriously inaccurate. This is a method in which someone trained in forensic odontology tries to match bite marks at crime…