Drug Crimes

The State of Texas and the United States take drug offenses seriously, as reflected in the phrase "the War on Drugs." Drug cases, including cocaine and marijuana, are particularly attractive to police because these cases result in forfeitures as well as government grants. A drug case can be a federal or State case. Prescription drug cases are becoming increasingly prosecuted in State court, particularly in Houston and Harris County, Texas. Whatever the charge, a conviction for a drug offense may carry with it collateral punishment, such as a driver's license suspension.

 

Penalties for drugs

• If you're caught with drugs in your bag, you may be charged with possessing an illegal material, whether it's yours or not you will be responsible for it.
• If you’re found with a Class C drug and don’t have a criminal records in the police station, you’ll get a formal warning or caution at a minimum. But in extreme situation the punishment may leads to 2 years. If you're found with a Class A or B drug, or have a record of drug offenses, you're likely to face much tougher punishment; because the punishment for the A and B will be five to seven years in prison.
• If you're under 17, the police are allowed to tell your parent that you've been caught.
• For selling drugs the punishment may leads to life in prison(Class A) or 14 years(Class B or C)

Types of drug charges

Possession: Possession is defined as the actual care, custody, control or management.

Delivery: It is an offense under both state and federal law to deliver or to have intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Manufacturing: It is an offense under both state and federal law to manufacture a controlled substance.

Conspiracy: One of the most frequently charged drug offenses in federal court is conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Methamphetamine: Due to the skyrocketing methamphetamine problem, the penalties for possession, delivery and manufacturing of methamphetamine have become extremely severe. 

Cocaine: It is an offense to possess or distribute even the smallest amount of cocaine.

Marijuana: It is an offense to possess, distribute or cultivate marijuana.  Depending on the quantity, possession of marijuana can be charged as a misdemeanor of felony in both state and federal court.

Paraphernalia: Paraphernalia is very broad and can include pipes, lighters, plastic baggies and rolling papers if the government can show that there was intent to use the items to use drugs

 

Hence these are the valuable information’s shared by the Houston criminal lawyer Neal Davis for the precautions. He has skill and knowledge in defending drug cases. Before deciding to open his own Houston criminal law office, Neal was a lawyer for over ten years with legendary Texas criminal defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, where Neal established an outstanding reputation in his own right. At the Houston law office of Dick DeGuerin, Neal defense of drug cases ranging from simple possession to complex conspiracies. Many times, Neal has prevented drug offenses from being charged or has gotten them dismissed or reduced. He has successfully handled forfeitures.

Tips For DUI/DWI Cases

A Houston criminal lawyer may stand for someone that has already been arrested for a criminal offense or maybe the individual authorities in prosecuting the exciting party. A Houston criminal attorneys can easily put on a variety of hats, from counseling an individual against a minor traffic infraction to representing a supposed offender throughout a murder case. In this situation Neal Davis has given up his life to defending individuals in all types of criminal cases. Neal has been named to the Super Lawyers list as one of the top attorneys in Texas. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers.

 Neal Davis practice areas are too different from others because he can able to win any type of criminal cases till now. His defense mechanism is the greatest profit for him, because he is an unusual man dedicated to caring, fighting and winning.


He has handled many cases such as Driving while intoxicated, Securities fraud, Misapplication of fiduciary property, Aggravated sexual assault, Tax fraud, Homicide, Juvenile, Federal crimes, Domestic violence, Drug much more.

Few tips given by him in DUI/DWI cases

 It is crucial to hire a drunken driving lawyer, meaning an attorney qualified to handle DWI cases. Neal is the lawyer he has experience and expertise in DWI cases including being NHTSA certified as an expert in field sobriety testing.

 Here are some common challenges to breathe tests in DWI cases:

• The Machine Was Not Properly Maintained

• The Machine Was Not Properly Calibrated

• The Machine Was Not Properly Operated


• The Machine Was Affected By Radio Frequency Interference (Police Radio etc.)

• The Machine Has An "Acceptable" Range Of +/- .02%

• Your Body Temperature Was Greater Than 98.6

• You Were Tested Within 2 Hours From Your Last Drink

• You Have Medical Or Dental Problems That Make You An Improper Candidate For Breath Testing

• The Officer Did Not Have You Under Continuous Observation For 15 Minutes Prior To Giving You The Breath Test

• Your Symptoms And Drinking Pattern Are Inconsistent With The Test Result

• Manufacturer does not warrant that the Intoxilyzer is fit for any particular purpose

• Residual alcohol in the mouth increased the results

 This is just an few tips of his practice areas for more tips and help just check out the http://houstoncriminalattorney.com/help-center.html

Business Rescue Law

They are many creditor financial institutions believe business rescue applications are being abused, according to a commercial lawyer on Monday and this comes as the number of applications for business rescue by companies that are financially distressed has increased for the implementation of the New Companies Act in May.

A companies committing the alleged abuse are said to be trying to prevent foreclosure of overdraft facilities or loans andthe eric Levenstein, director at Werksmans Attorneys says, that many business rescue practitioners have been appointed in companies in the resolution passed for business rescue was nothing more than an attempt to delay the ultimate demise of the company for the clearly it could not pay its debts to creditors.

Many South African financial institutions are met with resolutions for business rescue when proceeding against debtors up once business rescue proceedings begin there is no opportunity for creditors to legally pursue claims against debtors to the new business rescue procedure provides companies in financial distress with alternatives to liquidation, not every company is suitable for the procedure as a such Levenstein warns directors to be careful before embarking on this road.

Facebook On European Commission Data Protection Laws.

The European Commission says companies like Facebook need to be subject to European data protection laws to a facebook says it is not worried because it is already compliant with said regulations and the earlier this week, the European Commission (EC, the governing body of 27 European member states), declared it wants non-European businesses that store information on European citizens in a Facebook to be subject to European data protection laws.

The German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner you may remember as the woman who told her colleagues to avoid Facebook met with EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding and the duo released the following joint statemente we both believe that companies direct their services to European consumers should be subject to EU data protection laws otherwise they should not be able to do business on our internal market to this also applies to social networks with users in the EU.

We have to make sure that they comply with EU law and that EU law is enforced even is based in a 3rd country and even if its data are stored in a cloud to be my colleague, Zack Whittaker, argues this updated European directive will shake cloud computing industry to the core lawmakers will single out social networks as a prime target for change to a he believes the statement should “send shivers down the spine of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.”

Australia To become First Country To Enforce Plain Packaging For Cigarettes.

Australia is to become the first country to enforce the plain packaging of cigarettes and the tobacco companies have vowed to fight the new legislation in court from December next year, all cigarettes will be sold in olive green packs, which research has shown is least appealing to smokers.

A under the new laws, approved by the upper house of parliament, no trademark brand logos will be permitted on any packaging of tobacco products, although companies will be able to print in the name and the cigarette brand in small, prescribed font on the packets and the boxes will continue to carry stark health warning messages and pictures to will cover 75% of the front of the pack and 90% of the back.

The legislation stops one young Australian from picking up a shiny, coloured packet and prevents them becoming addicted to cigarettes then in my view it will have been worthwhile, said John Faulkner to a Labor senator in the parliamentary debate and the debate in Australia has been keenly watched around the world, including in Britain, Canada and New Zealand where similar plans to curtail branding are being considered.

The government can't take away valuable property from a legal company without compensation, said Scott McIntyre, spokesman for British American Tobacco Australia to a mcIntyre said the company's brands, including Winfield and Benson & Hedges, were worth billions of dollars we're a legal company with legal products selling to adults who know the risks of smoking. We're taking this to the high court because we believe the removal of our valuable intellectual property is unconstitutional, he said.

Warnings: For A Cigarette Pack Judge Blocks Law.

A federal judge on Monday blocked implementation of a law that would have mandated tobacco companies include on cigarette packages graphic pictures and messages showing the dangers of smoking to this case poses a constitutional challenge to a bold new tact (sic) by the Congress and the FDA, in their obvious and continuing efforts to minimize, if not eradicate, tobacco use in the United States, concluded U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon, who cited First Amendment rights against unconstitutionally compelled speech as a factor in his 29-page decision.

Not withstanding the potential legal and financial ramifications of this challenge for the Government, for reasons known only to itself, is unwilling to voluntarily stay the effective date of this Rule until the Judicial Branch can appropriately review the constitutionality of the Government's novel and costly to approach to regulating tobacco packaging and advertising.

The Court must and will act to preserve the status quo until it can evaluate on the merits (and without incurring irreparable harm to a companies genuinely affected), the constitutionality of the commercial speech that these graphic images compel, Leon wrote in his decision.

Health Law Survives Test in Court.

A federal appeals court in Washington upheld the Obama administration’s health care law on Tuesday in a decision written by a prominent conservative jurist and the decision came as the Supreme Court is about to consider whether to take up challenges to the Affordable Care Act, a milestone legislative initiative of the administration.

The four appellate court rulings on the health care law so far, this is the third to deal with the law on the merits, and the second that upholds it will United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington issued the 37-page opinion by Judge Laurence H Silberman in the opinion, Judge Silberman, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, described the law as part of the fundamental tension between individual liberty and legislative power.

A right to be free from federal regulation is not absolute, and yields to the imperative that Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems, no matter how local or seemingly passive in their individual origins,” he wrote in the fact that Congress may have never issued an individual mandate to purchase something before, for a central argument for many opposing the law, “seems to us a political judgment rather than a recognition of a constitutional limitations,” he wrote a 65-page dissent by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, a conservative jurist appointed by President George W. Bush, stated that the courts lack jurisdiction until the law’s tax penalties take effect in 2015.

The UniteThe United States of America Appeals Court Backs Obama Healthcare Law.d States of America Appeals Court Backs Obama Healthcare Law.

The President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law got a boost on Tuesday when a U.S. appeals court agreed with a lower court that dismissed a challenge and found the law's minimum coverage requirement was constitutional and the U.S Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court ruling to constitutional to require Americans to buy healthcare insurance coverage by early 2014 or face a penalty and had dismissed a lawsuit challenging it.

The certainly is an encroachment on individual liberty, but it is no more so than a command that restaurants or hotels are obliged to serve all customers regardless of race or that a farmer cannot grow enough wheat to support his own family," wrote Judge Laurence Silberman in the majority opinion, citing past federal mandates that inspired legal fights and the right to be free from federal regulation is not absolute, and yields to the imperative that Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems, no matter how local or seemingly passive to the individual origins.

There was the latest victory for the Obama administration, which sought the new law to try to stem the soaring costs of healthcare and to increase coverage for the more than 35 million Americans without healthcare insurance and the silberman, a noted conservative judge, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and was joined by Judge Harry Edwards who was appointed by President Jimmy Carter. The dissenting judge was Brett Kavanaugh, appointed by President George W. Bush.

Australia Pollution Law

Australia’s Pollution Law Bucks Global Impasse on Climate Rules and the australia’s law to charge polluters for a carbon emissions caps a 10-year effort that bucked the global deadlock on climate change to we have moved away from striving for international consensus to a world where every nation says, We’ll do it our way, Martijn Wilder, head of emissions trading at law firm Baker & McKenzie in Sydney, said in an interview yesterday after Australia’s upper house of parliament passed a law to impose a carbon price on the country’s 500 largest polluters.

A decision may reignite momentum behind market based solutions for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate cap and trade plans in China, South Korea, California, said James Cameron, vice chairman of Climate Change Capital in London and the envoys from 190 nations meet for two weeks beginning on Nov 28 in Durban, South Africa, to discuss climate rules for the “Australia looks serious” and will have “more clout” in Durban as a result, said Cameron and who has been advised small island states on the 1997 Kyoto climate treaty.

That’s why Australia’s move is so important it is the 1st time in many years when a country has actually upped the denominator rather than lower it and the Australian legislation will require about 500 companies to pay A$23 ($23.80) a ton for their emissions starting in July 2012 and the plan will raise A$10 billion a year by 2015, when the government-set price gives way to a cap-and-trade system, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The Court Hears Challenge To Assisted Suicide Law.

The Georgia’s highest court on Monday will hear a challenge that seeks to strike down the state’s assisted-suicide law, passed by the Legislature almost two decades ago to punish people like the late Jack Kevorkian who helped people kill themselves and the 4 members of the Final Exit Network say the law violates the right to free speech and does not really prohibit those who assist others committing suicide.

The court’s ruling will determine whether the defendants will stand trial in Forsyth County and where 58-year-old John Celmer killed himself two years after he had been diagnosed with cancer Kevorkian, a Michigan pathologist known as “Dr. Death,” died in June to he catapulted into fame in the early 1990s by overseeing the suicides of more than 100 people and prompting dozens of states to criminalize assisted-suicide in 1997, the U.S Supreme Court held that preventing assisted suicide was a legitimate state interest only 3 states Oregon, Washington and Montana legalize it.

The 1994, the Georgia Legislature enacted a law that makes it a felony for anyone “who publicly advertises, offers or holds himself or herself out as offering that he or she will intentionally and actively assist another person in the commission of suicide and commits any overt act to further that purpose and the crime carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.

The Law Firm Documents Add To Heat On James Murdoch.

The News Corp agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to an early phone-hacking victim because it recognized that evidence from the case was 'fatal' to its claims of innocence and new details released on Tuesday showed.

The briefing notes and emails exchanged between News Corp lawyers and handed over to the British parliamentary committee investigating the scandal indicated senior figures were aware of the problem in 2008 and the were working to keep the issue private.

A powerful case that there is (or was) a culture of illegal information access used at NGN is a News Group Newspapers in order to produce stories for publication, News Corp's senior outside counsel Michael Silverleaf told his clients and the rupert Murdoch's News Corp has been fighting mounting claims that its News of the World tabloid hacked the phones of thousands to secure exclusive stories and then orchestrated a corporate cover-up in a allegations started to emerge.

The slow drip of information has severely damaged Rupert Murdoch's son James to the presumed heir to the media group, over his handling of the fallout and the implication that he tried to prevent the true scale of the problem from emerging and the enalysts and critics of the firm have suggested Murdoch must have been aware of the scale of the problem when he approved the huge payoff and therefore was in some way culpable for a james Murdoch has been recalled to face further questions from the parliamentary committee next week.

Commercial Law Inconsistent With Other Laws By Ho Phuong Luan, Indochine Counsel.

The National Assembly's passage of the Commercial Law in 2005 was a significant event in promoting commerce and a healthy business climate after nearly seven years in effect to the law has revealed some shortcomings making it imperative that the law be amended in order to create the most favourable conditions for commercial development in Viet Nam for the instance, the definitions of terms used in the law and example for a "business entities", "commercial activities", and "commodities exchanges", are inadequate and unclear, and provisions on penalties, promotions and complaints are incoherent in overall the law contains many provisions inconsistent with other laws and regulations.

A concept of "business entities" as defined in Article 6.1 of the Commercial Law is confused and appears to conflict with Article 7. Article 6.1 provides that "business entities shall be comprised of economic organisations to have been lawfully established and have business registration to an enterprise is already and the lawfully established only it has been established in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law.

And have obtained business registration to yet Article 6.1 also says that "business entities shall consist of economic organisations to conduct commercial activities independently and frequently this condition is both unclear and unnecessary as the law is otherwise silent as how an economic organisation may be judged to have satisfied such a requirement.

Corporate & Commercial Law

The legal India is having an excellent team of experienced legal professional all across India to provide effective advisory services on foreign investments, foreign exchange laws, structuring of a investment model, royalty payment, license fee, repatriation of profits and other such issues.

We advise on company laws matters and we are also providing legal opinions on various complex issues of commercial laws relating to businesses, as well as negotiation of commercial contracts to areas of our expertise under corporate commercial laws in India are listed below:

Formation of Company / Trust / Society / Non-Profit (Section 25) Company,

Setting up business in India, FDI, Regulatory Compliance,

Opening of branch offices, liaison offices,

Off Shore Companies, holding companies, wholly own subsidiary offices,

Licensing, Franchising, Distribution, Agency,

Foreign Collaboration

Shareholders Agreements

Technology Transfer

Regulatory Services and approvals (FIPB, RBI, SEBI, SEZ, STPI, EHTP, EOU) Joint venture Agreements

Foreign Investment

Overseas Development Centre Agreements

This Ridiculous Online Piracy Law And That Blocks Websites Without Warning May Actually Pass Congress.

The House is getting ready to discuss a new anti-online piracy bill that will allow independent parties to cut off websites accused of posting copyrighted material and the bill, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), is designed to skirt around the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to the SOPA will go before the House Judiciary Committee on November 16. From what we've read, it has a decent chance of passing.

Right now, under the DMCA, a copyright holder can request a website remove material he or she owns to the website refuses, the matter can go to court in the SOPA gets around this by allowing the third party to go directly to advertisers, credit card companies and ISPs to effectively shut down a website's lifeline when it's suspected of posting copyrighted material to there's no need to go to court either.

For example, under SOPA, a copyright holder can go directly to Google and ask them to block all Google ads from a website that is suspected of carrying copyrighted works to a commercial site, credit card companies and services like PayPal have the right to block all payments it's a classic "shoot 1st, ask questions later" move and has the potential to be harmful to sites and services such as Dropbox that depend on user uploaded content.

Business and Commercial Law

Business law and commercial law are the two laws that deal with the business and commercial transactions to the encompasses the formation of business management, commerce and consumer transaction and the commercial law consists of creditor law, debtor Law, sales and secured transaction also has the rules and regulations  for the land cargo, sea cargo, merchant shipping, marine and accident insurance and there are various laws, which describe how the commerce should be taken care with the compliance, privacy laws, safety laws, foods and drugs law.

The Secured transaction and negotiable instruments are the two most important areas of commercial and business law in secured transaction, borrower agrees on the collateral that is owned by the borrower will be taken by lender in any business, party borrows money from the bank or from any other financial institution. In this case, the lender needs more than just promise to repay the loan amount to the law of collateral interests formed between borrower and lender in the consumer Credit, Creditor law and Debtor law Credit allows customer to pay in future if customer wants to buy a commodity in the present to secure customer and lending agency interest this law helps to regularize all the things.

Formation and Management of business to form the business entities is the most important aspect of the business to there are varieties of business organization formed in the major forms are sole proprietor ship, limited liability companies, the partnership and the corporation and choosing the correct business is an important step a regarding this one can use services of a commercial law attorney who helps and manages any type of business venture.

The Commercial Law Inconsistent With Other Laws.

The National Assembly's passage of the Commercial Law in 2005 was a significant event in promoting commerce and a healthy business climate to after nearly seven years in effect, the law has revealed some shortcomings, making it imperative that the law be amended in order to create the most favourable conditions for commercial development in Viet Nam and the are instance, the definitions of terms used in the law, e.g., "business entities", "commercial activities", and "commodities exchanges", are inadequate and unclear, and provisions on penalties, promotions and complaints are incoherent to the overall, the law contains many provisions inconsistent with other laws and regulations.

The concept of "business entities" as defined in Article 6.1 of the Commercial Law is confused and appears to conflict with Article 7 and Article 6.1 provides that business entities shall be comprised of economic organisations which have been lawfully established and have business registration to an enterprise is already considered lawfully established only if it has been established in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law and have obtained business registration.

The Article 6.1 also says that "business entities shall consist of economic organisations which conduct commercial activities independently and frequently to this condition is both unclear and unnecessary in the law is otherwise silent as how an economic organisation may be judged to have satisfied such a requirement.

Popular Defense Attorney Against Criminal Charges

If you were to be accused of an offense or even in a critical situation, you would need a qualified criminal lawyer to represent you. Your aim is to prove that you are blameless and not responsible of the crime. Being guilty of the crime translates into prison time, which is something that no one wants to have to do, especially if you are innocent. Even the responsible will seek out a great criminal lawyer to prove that they're innocent, even when they are not.

So when you are in risk, you need an experienced, qualified Houston criminal lawyers dedicated to caring, fighting, and winning . . .

In this critical situation of facing a criminal charge, it is crucial to get in touch with an experienced criminal attorneys in Houston Texas , such as Neal Davis.Houston Texas criminal lawyer Neal Davis has extensive experience and he is a most dedicated advocate. He has dedicated his career to protecting peoples and businesses in all types of criminal law matters. He is an excellent lawyer with a quick mind, a healthy contempt for the government, and high ethical standards. Who has proven extraordinary record of success at all phases in all types of criminal cases. He has earned the respect of police. Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson is a law enforcement legend who was a Texas Ranger for almost 30 years. He has written that Neal is a "damn good Texas lawyer."
 

Sample cases where he has proved his talent

One of his clients was charged with the felonies of securities fraud and misapplication of fiduciary property. The complainant was a professional football player in Houston, claimed that the client defrauded the complainant in a securities asset. The case went to trial before a jury. Neal's client would be found guilty because of the evidently overpowering proof of fault. The jury argued for many days and was quiescent at nine to three for release. A mistrial was declared. Following the mistrial, some jurors who wanted to acquit Neal's client asked Neal for the client's business card. The prosecution dismissed the case.

 Winning Cases

• Forfeiture
• State seizure of over $1 million dollars: Money returned.
• Federal seizure of over $1 million dollars: Court ordered money returned.
• Some of the pre-charge investigations
• Federal hate crime, Medicare fraud, Harassment, Indecency with a child: No charges filed
• Deadly conduct, Engaging in organized crime, Explosive device, Possession with intent to deliver over 400 grams of cocaine and ecstasy ,Marijuana, prostitution, terroristic theft – the case was Dismissed.

Hence don’t wait for an aggressive, experienced legal representation. Contact Neal Davis and lead your life in a happy manner .Call him at - 713-227-4444 any time or Contact him through the http://houstoncriminalattorney.com/contact.html for the free initial consultation.

Commercial Law

Commercial law also known as business law, which covers also corporate law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions and this often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals with issues of both private law and public law.

Commercial law includes within its compass such titles as principal and agent carriage by land and sea, merchant shipping, guarantee, marine, fire, life, and accident insurance, bills of exchange and partnership and it can also be understood to regulate corporate contracts, hiring practices, and the manufacture and sales of consumer goods, Many countries have adopted civil codes that contain comprehensive statements of their commercial law.

Efforts have been made to create a unified body of commercial law in the United States and the most successful of these attempts has resulted in the general adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, which has been adopted in all 50 states with some modification by state legislatures the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.

Five Places To Never Use Your Debit Card & In Some Situations, Using a Debit Card Can Expose You To Fraud or Identity Theft.

1. Rental or security deposits:

If you have to put money down to rent a car or heavy-duty home improvement equipment, try not to use a debit card and the Why? Because the business will actually take the money out of your account in the form of a security deposit and the You'll get the cash back when you return the car or equipment with a credit card, the money is just "frozen" but not actually charged and you won't ever notice it's gone.

2. Restaurants and bars:

There are way too many prying eyes around a dining establishment to trust using your debit card to a part from the risk of having your card stolen and the restaurants are one of those rare places where someone actually walks away with your card and you don't see them for a few minutes to much better to use cash when dining out.

3.Regular payments:

Businesses love to get their sticky little fingers on your debit card number so they can extract dues straight from your bank account on a regular basis it's a gym or your insurance company, you're better off using a credit card and that's because if there's a dispute, the business won't take the cash right out of your checking account if they don't have your debit card number.

4. Wi-Fi hot spots:

Never use your debit card for an online purchase while at a coffee shop or other business that offers free Wi-Fi access and the many of those businesses have unsecured wireless connections, so it's much easier for hackers and scammers to log on and steal your data.

5. Any retail outlet where you choose the "credit" option:

Debit cards allow you to choose between a debit (having cash taken straight out of your account) and a credit transaction (where the money will be taken out but it could be a few days later) and the For one of a credit purchases cost the retailer more cash in swipe fees, you could be hurting a small business owner to the real problem is the delay when choosing credit you may forget purchase and not account in a money and that can lead to an overdraft situation and the onerous fees that can go with them.

Crime Statistics

Crime rates are published each year in a report that looks at both reported and unreported crimes. National, local and street level crime information is now available online

How crime is measured

Crime is measured in two ways:

• The police keep a record of all crimes reported to them
• The government carries out a large household survey to ask the public about their experience of crime

Why are both crime measurements needed?

Both methods give a complete count of all crime, and they have different strengths and weaknesses.

Police records cover all crime reported to or identified by the police. This includes both commercial and ‘victimless’ crime (such as possession of drugs) as well as crimes reported by the public. However, only about 40 per cent of crimes are actually reported to the police.

To fill that gap of unreported crime, the crime survey asks thousands of people each year about their own experiences with crime. This means that crimes that are never reported to the police are included. However, the crime survey does not cover commercial crime or so-called ‘victimless’ crimes (such as possession of drugs). Also, because it is a survey of crime victims, it cannot cover murder.

Used together, though, the police records and the annual crime survey form a picture of crime trends in the country. A detailed report covering both measurements is published each year, with brief updates published quarterly.

The justice system where you live

There are several different ways of bringing offences to justice. Many offences result in convictions in court, others are 'taken into consideration' by judges and magistrates when criminals are sentenced for different crimes. Less serious offences are handled outside of courts through cautions, penalty notices (on-the-spot fines) or verbal warnings given by police.

Generally, it's hard to fairly compare the number of crimes reported to police with the number of crimes brought to justice. There are several reasons for that, including:

• It can take months or years for criminals to go on trial for their crimes
• One arrest can solve many crimes
• One crime can involve several offenders

For more informations contact our Houston tx criminal lawyer and Criminal attorneys in houston tx

Jury Service

Jury service is something that some people may be asked to do in their lifetime. Being on a jury is a 'civic duty' and helps decide the outcome of criminal (and civil) trials in a court.

What a jury does

• A jury decides whether someone is innocent or guilty of committing a serious crime - like murder, rape, burglary or fraud.

• You may be asked to be on a jury at a civil trial - like a personal injury case.

• A jury is made up of 12 members of the public, randomly selected using the electoral registers.

When you can’t be on a jury

• Ever had a prison or youth custody sentence of more than five years

• Have been in prison or youth custody for any length of time in the last ten years

• Have or have had a mental health condition or mental disability

Being asked to do jury service

• If you're selected for jury service, you’re sent a 'jury summons'. This tells you the time and date you need to be at court.

• You must complete and return it to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau within seven days from the day you get it.

• You’re then sent details of how to get to the court and what to expect once you're there.

How long jury service lasts

• Jury service usually lasts for up to ten working days.

• Many trials last only two or three days, so you may be on a jury for another trial.

• If a case is complex (like fraud) it could take longer than ten days. You’re asked at the court if this would cause you any difficulties.

Asking to be excused from jury service

• If you can't do jury service at any time during the next 12 months you must state the reason on the form. You’re normally asked to give evidence - like a letter from your doctor about a medical condition you have.

• If you have served on a jury within the previous two years you have a right to be excused.

Childcare costs - or if you're caring for someone

• You can claim for child minding costs from the court if:

• You don't normally have a child minder but need one because of jury service (it's not part of your usual childcare arrangements)

• You do normally have a child minder but need them for more hours than usual because of jury service

The same applies if you need to employ a carer to look after someone you normally care for.

Claiming loss of earnings and other costs

• Jury service is unpaid but you can normally claim an allowance for certain things up to a certain amount. This includes travel costs and loss of earnings.

• You make a claim at the end of the period of jury service. On your first day, the jury manager explains how to claim your expenses.

• Financial support and benefits (like Jobseeker's Allowance) are unaffected for the first eight weeks while on jury service.

If your jury service lasts longer than this, contact your local Jobcentre Plus office. You can also contact the court for advice.

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Crime Prevention

Crime is a growing problem all over the world. We can work towards preventing it. A lot is being done some more has to be done. You can play a vital role in helping prevent crime.


Houses, which are left unlocked, vehicles left uncared for and jewelry which is exposed are the easiest targets of a criminal. 80% of the criminal offences reported clearly show the negligent attitude of the victims whose properties have been attacked. If proper precautions were taken by people, 60 to 80% of such offences could have been prevented. Though primary responsibility to prevent and detect crime rests with the Police, role of every citizen in his day-to-day life also plays an important part in preventing crime. Steps taken by you to secure your property would definitely bring down crimes and this will give more time to the Police to prevent and detect other serious types of crimes committed by professionals.

The Family and Home

Members of your family, particularly women, children and elderly could be given practical advice on how to feel safer and more secure. The risk of being exposed to crime can be reduced further by taking simple precautions. How can you reduce the risk of your house being burgled are explained. Simple precautionary measures can keep the burglars away from your house. Movable properties like vehicles, cash, credit cards and worn jewelry are some of the articles susceptible for theft. These offenses are usually committed on streets. You can prevent these offenses by following some of the precautionary measures

Community policing is the term frequently used to emphasize the involvement of community in prevention of crime. You, as a member of the community, can do a lot to prevent crime.

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The Florida young accused charged as Adult butCan’t Get Death Penalty

The Florida young accused of killing his parents with a hammer and then celebrations with his friends, was charged as an adult but is not eligible for the death penalty because of his age, prosecutors say.

Life in prison without parole is "the only feasible option that remains on the table for him," said chief assistant criminal defense attorney attorney Thomas Bakkedahl. "While it may not be pleasing to me, that am all we've got."

Tyler Hadley, 17, was charged today with two counts of second degree murder which will keep him in jail while the state attorney's office assembles imposing judges, the only way to prosecute Hadley for first degree murder. In Florida, first degree murder will have two punishments: the death penalty for people 18 or older or life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors decided to seek first degree murder charges against Hadley after seeing the damage done to the bodies of Hadley's parents during the medical examiner's autopsy.

Hadley's public prosecutors, Mark Harllee, told the Associated Press he had met with Hadley, but didn't discuss the teen's state of mind.

"We will be representing him enthusiastically, and the next step we will take is to enter an appeal of not guilty on his behalf," he said.

Jurors will expect meet in August, Bakkedahl said.

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New Laws to Protect Children and Elderly

Governor Bobby Jindal stood with law enforcement officials to highlight five new laws that were part of the Governor's 2011 Legislative Package and will help crack down on sex offenders, locate missing children and protect the disabled and elderly.

Governor Jindal held a ceremonial bill signing for the new laws, including

• HB 49 by Rep. Leger - which explains the human trafficking statutes;

• HB 55 by Rep - Thierry which criminalizes the accessing or using of social networking websites, chat rooms and peer-to-peer networks by certain registered sex offenders;

• HB 86 by Rep - White, which enhances the penalties for sexually abusing a person with a physical or mental disability or a person over the age of 65;

• HB 94 by Rep. Katz - which transfers the lost and browbeaten Children Information Clearinghouse from DCFS to the Office of State Police;

• HB 131 by Rep - Templet, which ensures sex offenders do not avoid their registration requirements

These new laws will surely have some changes for the peoples.

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The world's oldest prisoner at 108-years was released from an Indian prison

The world's oldest known prisoner at 108-years was released from an Indian prison based on humanitarian grounds recently. Brij Bihari Pandey, a Hindu priest, had been helping a life sentence for a quadruple murder in 1987. His age was 84 at the time.

Gorakhpur prison officials said that his reoccurring health problem paved the way for his early release.

"It was very difficult to take care of a 108-year-old prisoner," said jail Superintendent SK Sharma. "So that we moved an application for his release and the court accepted it."

In 1987, Bihari and 15 others killed four people over the meeting of a rival as chief priest of a Hindu temple. His tryout lasted more than two decades. Finally, he was sentenced in 2009.

Bihari can hardly hear and speaks in monosyllables. He could neither identify his nephew's wife, Krishnawati, nor her son Avneesh. Avneesh along with two others finished the bail formalities and protected Bihari's release from jail.

Avneesh said Bihari ate rice, pulses and vegetables on Saturday. But the old man “Bihari” had refused to eat when he reached home on Friday night.

"Baba (Bihari) still believes he is in jail. At times he starts talking to the jailor and then suddenly says something to an fantasy jail doctor," said Avneesh. "His voice also has become unclear and almost out of earshot. It seems old age and a hard jail life has led to memory loss."

He said the only relieve is that at times Bihari is able to recognise his sister, Vandana. Avneesh was three at the time of Bihari and 15 others killed four people on June 15, 1987. Because he is weak and unable to walk, he was carried from the jail to a relative's car. Bihari hugged guy inmates, who placed a garland of flowers on him.

Jail officials said he obtain the garland with a broad smile and said: "God is great. Thank you."

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Man gets 120 years in prison for girlfriend's murder with no chance of parole.

BOZEMAN - A 39-year-old Three Forks man prisoner of shooting his former girlfriend to death and burning her body in a barrel was sentenced Tuesday to 120 years in prison with no chance of parole.

District Judge Holly Brown sentenced Jay Myran for the May 12, 2009, passing away of 53-year-old Gayle Brewster at her Three Forks home. Myran was given 100 years in prison for deliberate homicide, 10 years for tampering with evidence and another 10 years for using a weapon.

He was prisoner in May of killing Brewster and was accused of recruiting his then 13-year-old son to help burn the body. Criminal defense attorney Peter Ohman argued that Brewster played a role in her own death because she shoved the barrel of Myran's gun into her mouth during an argument before it by accident discharged.

"This was a terrible set of situation that resulted in (Brewster's) death," Ohman said in court. "The defendant was in a condition that got out of hand."

But Brown did not agree his argument.

"This was not a crime of fervor or self-defense," she said. "This did not an accident. This was a preplanned criminal act."

Brown also ordered Myran to pay $7,998.75 in compensation and to register as a violent offender.

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Reducing drug use by young people

Drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. Some of the drugs most often associated with this term include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (particularly temazepam, nimetazepam, and flunitrazepam), cocaine, methaqualone, and opioids. Use of these drugs may lead to criminal penalty in addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, both strongly depending on local jurisdiction. Building on this success, the Government has recently renewed its efforts to reduce substance misuse by young people.

 Drug Strategy

In February 2008, the Government launched a new 10 year Drug Strategy,
Drugs: Protecting Families and Communities. 

This continues to focus on young people and introduces families as a priority for the first time, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to reducing the harm that children experience from either their own or a parent’s misuse of substances.

• Taking a long term view of prevention by intervening early with families at risk,improving treatment for parents with drug problems and protecting their children;

• Improving drugs education and strengthen the role of schools and children’s services in identifying problems and intervening early

• Integrating substance misuse issues within mainstream children’s services and targeted youth support, improving access to positive activities and ensuring effective specialist treatment for under 18s.

The commitment is demonstrated by our intention to re-classify cannabis as a Class B substance.

A $363,000 Tax Bill to Widow Led to Obama Shift in Defense of Marriage Act

Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer had a 40-year engagement and a two-year marriage, starting with a wedding in Canada recognized under the laws of New York, where they lived, and ending when Spyer died two years ago.

Her death triggered a $363,053 federal tax bill from which her widow would have been exempt had she been married to a man, because the federal Defense of Marriage Act bars the U.S. government from recognizing same-sex unions.

Windsor’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the act was one of two cited by the Obama administration to justify its decision to stop defending the law. The decision may be a turning point in the fight over putting same-sex marriages on the same footing as heterosexual unions.

“I couldn’t believe that our government would charge me $350,000 because I was married to a woman and not a man,” Windsor, 81, said in a video statement from the American Civil Liberties Union, which is helping to represent her.

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15 States Seek Arizona-like Immigration Law

At least 15 states seek an immigration law modeled off of the controversial immigration law in Arizona that is currently on hold, while legislators in other states are awaiting clarification from the courts prior to introducing their own rules.

The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, also referred to as Arizona SB1070, is the most contested legislative act in decades. It would allow law enforcement officers to stop people and demand identification and gives the officers the power to detain illegal immigrants while their immigration status is being adjudicated.

Arizona’s immigration law is currently on hold, waiting pending court appeals, after a federal judge blocked parts of the Arizona law in July, granting a request from the federal government.

President Obama strongly opposed to the law and called for a federal overhaul of immigration laws.

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