Criminal Law

Police discretion is a sticky branch of the criminal justice tree--the shades of gray of law enforcement. Often while on duty, police officers encounter situations that require their personal...

Even if you're not the defendant or the plaintiff, most court case information in civil and criminal cases is available for public review under the provisions of state and federal Freedom of...

Use this informative step by step process to understand why police use force when they do.

When someone is arrested, a judge assigns the person bail, a sum of money paid to guarantee that the suspect will return for all scheduled court proceedings. A bail bond is an option if the...

You never know when you will witness a crime. What if you got caught up in a crime in progress, but there were no police to stop it? Would you stop it or allow it to happen? I will give you tips...

Forensic analysis of the voice is usually used to identify or eliminate a suspect. The field goes back about 40 years, but experts still disagree about its admissibility as evidence.

When a person is arrested, he is taken into custody and not allowed to leave the scene. Before making an arrest, a law enforcement officer must have good reason to believe that an individual has...

Those who employ forensic science solve crimes by using all of the available information about, and evidence from, a crime scene in order to determine who committed it. Forensic scientists from...

A U.S. marshal needs reasonable cause to make an arrest for a felony crime. In the planning of the arrest, the superior deputy in the proceedings makes the decision whether to contact local law...

The Reid Technique is a widely recognized method of interviewing those involved in a criminal investigation, in order to exonerate the innocent and identify the guilty. The technique is so...

These days, fraud has become more prevalent in all forms. People using handwriting fraud has started to come to the forefront. Here is the way to perform handwriting fraud. There are several steps...

Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure details the issuing, execution and return of arrest warrants and legal summons in a local, state or federal case. This is an important step in the...

Dealing with the criminal justice system can be a frightening and overwhelming experience even if you are not facing the threat of an arrest. Being investigated can be a stressful ordeal because...

Television cop shows have seemingly made many of us experts in police standard operating procedures. We know how to read a suspect his rights, how someone is notified of arrest and how someone is...

Police interviews look very cool on TV, what with the traditional good cop/bad cop routine, but in real life they are a far more serious attempt at behavioral psychology. The reality is that few...

The most important thing an investigator can do at a crime scene is maintain its integrity. You don't want to add anything, you don't want to take anything away. You want the scene as pristine a...

After the policemen takes your information and any information from the scene, he will turn it in to his department at the end of the shift. The information will be entered into the department's...

Arrest warrants legally authorize the arrest and detention of a suspect. Arrest warrants are written orders issued by neutral and detached judges or magistrates based on probable cause and are...

Forensics is the science of gathering evidence to support the facts related to a criminal investigation. The science of forensics actually spans a great deal of investigation techniques. While the...

Probable cause is one of the fundamental protections built into the criminal justice system by the founding generation of the United States. The power of police and military forces to arrest or...

An arrest takes place once a person is in police custody and unable to leave,. A series of laws follows an arrest. The Miranda Rights must be read to a suspect at the time of arrest. Five...

Deoxyribonucleic acid---or DNA---is chromosome coding that reveals a genetic signature and is proof positive of someone's identity. For this reason, it is a great source of evidence at a crime scene.

If you suspect insurance fraud, report this immediately. Several private and government agencies handle insurance fraud claims. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates that health care...

A signature bond is a type of court bond that a suspect arraigned before a court signs, promising to show up in court on the next required court date. Failure to do so means that he will have an...

Arrest warrants are written orders to pick up persons suspected of committing specific crimes and hold them in police custody. If you are caught committing a crime, police do not need an arrest...

Probable cause to hold someone responsible for a crime exists when a representative of the state such as a police officer or judge reasonably believes that someone has committed a crime or is in...

Even if you've never had to purchase a bail bond, you probably know what it is. In simple terms, it's a type of insurance--usually in the form of money or property--paid to the court when a...

Whether or not you've ever had to post bail for someone, you've probably heard the term "bail bond." A bail bond is money paid to the court once a suspect is released from jail and serves as a...

Arrests are made when a warrant is issued, if a person is caught committing a crime, or if a police officer has reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed. An arrest simply means detaining a...

At one time or another, many of us will find ourselves taking part in a police investigation. When the police are investigating a crime of any sort, they want witnesses and other sources to...

Criminal justice personnel, especially law enforcement officers, must know how to correctly obtain a legal statement from a crime suspect that will maintain credibility in court. There are five...

Good cop, bad cop. We've all seen the process of interrogation at work on TV and in the movies. Interrogation involves careful observation and attention to details. You can learn the art of...

Spotting and then detaining a shoplifter can be difficult for merchants. Specific rules and guidelines must be observed to establish a probable cause of shoplifting and legally detain a...

Shoplifting is the theft of goods, generally totaling less than $500, from a retail store. Shoplifters can cost businesses and stores a lot of money in lost revenue. When you catch a shoplifter,...

Looting refers to the unlawful taking of goods, usually during times of disaster or military action. If you witness looting, you can help the police by providing a description of the suspect.

Looting refers to the unlawful taking of goods, usually during times of disaster or military action. If you witness looting, you can help the police by providing a detailed report.

After you report a sex crime, the police will ask for a description of the suspect. You can help the police find your attacker by providing the most accurate description you can, including details...