According to the statistics from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, there were 1,014,785 total criminal arrests in California in 2019. If you've been arrested or indicted for a crime, your case will go to trial where the facts and evidence of your case will be reviewed before a law court or jury.
Being arrested and charged with a crime can be terrifying, and the consequences of a conviction can be devastating. In California, a criminal conviction could jeopardize your quality of life, personal reputation, liberty, professional opportunities, and entire future.
A charge of solicitation of a minor is taken very seriously in the state of California, as are other sex-related crimes. In 2020 alone, over 4,000 people were arrested for a sexual offense. However, like any charge, there are many factors to take into consideration. I know from experience that not all those charged with this crime had the intent to do harm, and in many cases, they could have been rightfully confused about the event.
According to the California Department of Justice, there were 59,371 juveniles referred to probation in 2019, and the majority of those referrals were for misdemeanor crimes.
In family law matters involving children, heightened emotions can overwhelm the judgment of the parents. Sometimes, a parent or family member may abscond with the child in the middle of a contentious custody dispute. According to the United States Department of Justice, more than 200,000 children become victims of family abduction each year.
According to the Strategic Intelligence Assessment and Data on Domestic Terrorism report, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted about 1,000 domestic terrorism investigations each fiscal year from 2017 through 2019. Any involvement in domestic terrorism is an extremely serious offense in California and the United States.
Probation has typically been the least costly of criminal sentencing penalties. According to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California, probation costs the state $4,438 per offender per year and is the most widely instituted sentence in the court system at more than 50 percent.
You’ve been arrested, hauled in, and faced with charges for a crime you didn’t commit. You’re offered free legal counsel from a public defender under the guarantee of the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. You’re sure they’ll drop the charges, so you agree to rely on the public defender.
Before California adopted its revised felony murder law in 2019, people serving prison time under the previous law were, on average, 20 years of age, and 72% of women serving a life prison sentence for felony murder did not actually commit homicide, according to a report from the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and Restore Justice.
Drug laws, especially in California cities like Huntington Beach, Irvine, Lakewood, Long Beach, Orange County, and the surrounding areas, are changing at a rapid pace. What was once illegal is now legal, and things that were legal are suddenly illegal. Drug crimes can include possession and selling, distribution as well as manufacturing, and if you get charged with a drug crime you need a skilled attorney with knowledge of how police operate.
