Gun ownership is prevalent in the United States, with a recent Pew Research Center study confirming that four-in-ten adults report that they live in a household with a gun. Furthermore, 30% of Americans say they personally own a firearm. With so many guns in homes and private residences throughout the U.S., the potential for negligent discharge accidents leading to severe injuries is unfortunately…
As of midnight yesterday, the U.S. government has been shut down indefinitely until Congress can come to an agreement on a budget. An agreement was not reached because Republicans will not approve a stop-gap measure unless ObamaCare is defunded, and Democrats refuse to block the money for the Affordable Care Act. Until one side relents or the two can come to a compromise,…
Many nonviolent and low-leveldrug offenders will no longer have to fear mandatory minimum sentences, Attorney General Eric Holder announced yesterday. Mandatory minimums have been controversial since they were implemented in the 1980s as part of the “war on drugs.” This series of laws requires judges to sentence drug offenders to mandatory minimum periods of incarceration if caught with certain amounts of illegal drugs….
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cybercrime is any type of criminal activity committed by means of the computer or internet. There are state and federal task forces exclusively focused on eradicated this type of crime. Cybercrimes are prosecuted harshly, which is why more people should be aware of what constitutes a cybercrime. Cybercrimes can take the form of scams. The…
Federal criminal law. This is a somewhat elusive term, but one that is important to understand. What isfederal criminal law and how does it differ from state and local criminal laws? Put simply, federal criminal codes are laws detailed in United States Code. These differ from civil law, and outline crimes against the federal government of the U.S. Each state in the country…
It has recently been announced that the SWAT unit of the LAPD is under investigation by an independent watchdog. They have stated that there are serious concerns regarding whether members of the SWAT unit may have used their position to acquire specially-made weapons in order to sell them at a profit. This is not a recent occurrence, however, with the first suspicions being…
An investigation is underway into sixteen killings in the Los Angeles area. Beginning in the 1980s, the same man has been tied to all of the deaths through DNA, ballistic evidence, and circumstantial evidence. The suspect, L.F. aged fifty-nine, had already been charged with ten murders when he was linked to six more. The victims, all women, of this serial killer were found…
A Florida man has been accused of hacking Scarlett Johansson’s email account and could be facing 121 years in federal prison. He is currently out on bail and he has told the press that he is deeply sorry for hacking and stalking this celebrity. He stated that it became an addiction which got out of control. Now allegations are surfacing which show the…
The Los Angeles County sheriff has responded angrily to the news that several Los Angeles prison guards are under federal investigation. The investigation centers on allegations that inmates have been mistreated. Volunteers who help at the prisons and jails have stated that they witnessed guards beating the prisoners. Sheriff L.B. wants to improve the way that inmates are treated, but he does not…
Criminal charges are categorized under state crime andfederal crime in the United States. By far the majority of crimes are considered state crimes, therefore, they are handled in state courts. However, certain crimes are “federal offenses,” which are typically prosecuted in the federal courts. The federal courts are established under the U.S. Constitution to handle disputes involving laws which were passed by Congress….
