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Simple and Aggravated Assault Laws and Penalties
Assault is a crime of violence, which is defined differently from one state to another. Learn more about how assault is defined in general, and about the assault laws in your state.
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Aggravated Battery Laws and Penalties
The crime of battery is the intentional touching of another in an angry manner or the intentional use of force or violence against another. Grabbing someone’s arm, pushing or punching a person or striking a victim with an object are all crimes of battery.
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Armed Robbery: Laws and Penalties
A person commits armed robbery when he takes something from someone else, using violence or intimidation, while carrying a dangerous weapon.
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Traditionally, arson was a crime that prohibited burning someone else's home, dwelling, or nearby property. Its purpose was to protect people from having their property burned while they were still inside.
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Assault with a deadly weapon is a felony offense regardless of the actual injuries caused to the victim.
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Of all the crimes punished by society, none are more serious than the crime of murder, the intentional and unlawful taking of a human life. Apart from the federal crimes of espionage and treason, murder is the only crime for which the death penalty is a potential punishment, though only in some states.
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Battery Against a Police Officer
Battery against a police officer involves causing injury to a law enforcement officer (or, in some states, attempting to or threatening to cause injury) . It is treated as a very serious crime. Many states have specific and harsh penalties that apply to battery against a police officer.
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Burglary: Charges, Penalties, and Sentencing
When most people think of burglary, they think of a thief in a black outfit sneaking into someone's home or a museum in the middle of the night. While such activity definitely counts as burglary, the legal definition applies to a much broader range of activities.
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A potent stimulant known as cocaine is derived from the leaves of the South American coca plant. Under federal law and the law of all fifty states, possession of any amount of cocaine is a crime. And, crack cocaine (a form of cocaine that is processed even further than powder cocaine to achieve a cheaper version) carries heavier penalties under federal and some state laws.
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Child Abuse: Laws & Criminal Penalties
Children occupy a special place in the law. Legal systems presume that children do not have the mental capacity to care for themselves or make their own choices. Instead, many of the choices a child has are often made by the child's parent, legal guardian, or custodian.
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Even though the Constitution guarantees the right of free speech, that right is not an absolute one. The law has long recognized specific limitations when it comes to speech, such as prohibitions against slander and libel.
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Extortion: Laws, Penalties and Sentencing
Though states provide a wide range of penalties for extortion, the crime is most often punished as a felony offense.
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The idea of personal freedom is closely related to the belief that you can travel where you choose without being restrained by someone else. When someone else restrains you or prevents you from moving, this is punishable as a crime, known as false imprisonment.
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Felony Assault & Battery Laws and Penalties
The crime of battery is the intentional touching of another in an angry manner, or the intentional use of force or violence against another. Grabbing someone’s arm, pushing or punching a person or striking a victim with an object all are crimes of battery.
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Drunk driving is often referred to as driving under the influence of alcohol, or DUI, but can also be known as as driving while intoxicated, or DWI, or by similar terms.
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The term “theft” encompasses a group of crimes that all involve depriving someone else of his or her property. When most people think of theft they typically think of larceny, the taking of someone else's personal property. For example, stealing a bicycle from a bike rack or taking someone's purse as it hangs from the back of a chair are all considered larceny.
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When most people think about crime, it's violent crimes that quickly come to mind. You don't have to know a lot about the law to know that violent crimes are the most serious criminal offenses possible.
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Driving a vehicle is an inherently dangerous activity, and one that can lead to serious injury, damage, or death if not done properly. Driving becomes particularly dangerous when an intoxicated person gets behind the wheel.
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Theft and thievery have been around for as long as mankind has believed in the idea of individual property and property rights. Today, states differentiate the various kinds of theft into different categories.
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Grand theft auto, or stealing an automobile or other vehicle, is a felony in most states, and may be punished by imprisonment. While the laws in each state are different, there are some general principles that apply in every state.
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Indecent Exposure: Laws & Penalties
Indecent exposure is the intentional exposure of one’s private parts in public. Laws prohibiting indecent exposure vary throughout the country, but share many similarities.
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Kidnapping began as a crime which involved forcibly abducting someone and carrying him or her to a different country. Today, kidnapping occurs when someone forcibly abducts or confines another person against his or her will.
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Rape—any nonconsensual sexual intercourse— between non-spouses has always been illegal. However, until 1975, every state had a “marital exemption” that allowed a husband to rape his wife without fear of legal consequences.
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“I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” – a mantra recited dozens of times a week in TV shows and movies. It’s so familiar that its significance can be overlooked. But, when sworn in a court or other official proceeding, it makes everything said afterward either the truth or perjury.
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Possession of a Controlled Substance: Drug Possession Laws
What is a controlled substance? Learn about the penalties for drug possession and the laws in your state.
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Public Lewdness: Laws & Penalties
Public lewdness refers to indecent or obscene behavior in public. These laws protect society from public conduct considered immoral and inappropriate.
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Resisting Arrest: Laws, Penalties, and Defense
Resisting arrest occurs when a person interferes with a law enforcement officer’s attempt to perform a lawful arrest. The crime can be a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the severity of the actions of the person being arrested.
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Sexual Assault Laws and Penalties
The term sexual assault, in lay person terms, usually refers to an attack on a person that is sexual in nature. The legal definition of this term actually differs, however, from state to state.
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Sexual Battery: Laws and Penalties
Sexual battery or criminal sexual contact is sexual conduct that does not involve penetration or sodomy, but does involve physical contact of a sexual nature without the other person’s consent.
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Simple and Aggravated Assault Laws and Penalties
Assault is a crime of violence, which is defined differently from one state to another. Learn more about how assault is defined in general, and about the assault laws in your state.
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Tampering with evidence is the crime of altering, destroying, or concealing physical evidence with the intent to affect the outcome of a criminal investigation or court proceeding.
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Terrorist Threat Laws and Penalties
Lawmakers and courts have long recognized that some damaging or dangerous forms of speech should be prohibited. Making a terrorist threat is one such form of speech that is prohibited.
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Vehicular Manslaughter: Sentencing, Laws and Penalties
Drivers who unintentionally cause accidents that result in the deaths of passengers, occupants of other cars, or pedestrians may find themselves charged with the crime of vehicular manslaughter.
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Violation Of A Restraining Order
There are several kinds of restraining orders. Violating some will lead to civil liability, while violating others can result in criminal conviction.