Was Sean Penn’s Meeting with El Chapo a Crime?
Was Sean Penn’s Meeting with El Chapo a Crime?
In one of the stranger bits of news to start 2016, Sean Penn, the Academy Award-winning actor and director, secretly met with and interviewed one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, aka “El Chapo.” Guzmán is the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, one of the largest criminal organizations in Mexico. Mexican actress Kate del Castillo arranged the interview after the drug lord approached her about…
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Has Prop 47 Increased Crime in California?
There is a Latin phrase that many attorneys learn in law school: “post hoc, ergo propter hoc.” Basically, that phrase translates to “after this, therefore because of this.” When one event is seemingly related to an event that follows it, there is a tendency to assume the second event was caused by the first event. However, this principle of causation is generally not true. Applying this idea would be like…
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Common Probation Conditions: The Price of Freedom
For those who have never been convicted of a crime, it is easy to think of probation as a mere slap on the wrist. But nothing could be further from the truth. While probation is definitely better than incarceration, it is still a perilous balancing act between repaying a debt owed to society for wrongdoing and maintaining personal freedom. If you have been sentenced to probation for a crime in…
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New Laws for California in 2016
It has been famously said that ignorance of the law is no defense. With that in mind, the lawyers at Wallin & Klarich are here to remind you that with each new year comes new laws that you need to know about. By keeping yourself up to date, you can avoid the embarrassment of telling a police officer “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that!” California Gun Laws for 2016…
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Why Sentencing is the Hardest Part of Criminal Defense
If you’re arrested for a crime, you’re probably wondering how much jail time you could be facing. You hear all the time in news reports and movies about a person facing up to “life in prison.” In reality, figuring out a potential sentence for your crime is more difficult than you think. How Does Sentencing Work in California? (PC 1170) When trying to determine how sentencing works, the first place…
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Are Women Treated Better Than Men in Criminal Cases?
Gender equality is a common topic of discussion in modern times. But one area of gender equality that deserves more attention is the differences in how men and women are treated by the criminal justice system. A recent study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice highlights a number of areas where men and women are treated differently when charged with a similar crime.[1] Do Women Receive More Favorable Treatment?…
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Prop 47 Task Forces Coming to Los Angeles County
In November 2014, California voters decided that the state’s classification of some crimes as felonies was overly harsh and needed to be changed. The voters passed Proposition 47 (also known as the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act”) to reduce the penalties for certain drug and theft crimes. There law changed the way these crimes are charged. Due to the change, those that have prior convictions for certain crimes are allowed…
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DUI and Marijuana Legalization
Marijuana is becoming legal in more states, including in California. But this is causing an issue on the road. Although studies on the subject are still underway, reports that have already been conducted show that those under the influence of marijuana are less likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than those under the influence of alcohol. The Effects Of Marijuana When Driving Although many marijuana users feel…
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Why It’s Time to End Sex Offender Registries
There is almost no category of criminal offenses that is as universally despised as sexual offenses. At the mention of this category of crimes, most people’s minds go to rape, child molestation or child pornography. Those who commit these crimes earn very little sympathy from the public, so it is not surprising that the punishment for these crimes is extremely harsh. One such punishment can potentially last for a lifetime,…
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Should Criminal Background Checks Be Banned in California?
It has become routine. You apply for a job, and your potential boss asks you for permission to conduct a criminal background check. For those who have no criminal history, such a check is not an issue, but for the millions of people who have been convicted of a crime, a background check is a significant barrier to getting a job. In the last few years, the federal government has…
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