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50 Founders Plaza
East Hartford, CT 06108
50 Founders Plaza
East Hartford, CT 06108
Murder is one of the oldest and most serious crimes in civilized society. The killing of one human being by another is taken very seriously and can come with extremely severe punishments. Many states divide murder charges into first, second, and third degree murder, but Connecticut is slightly different. Rather than dividing murder charges into degrees, Connecticut determines the seriousness of the murder charge based on a variety of factors, such as the people involved in the crime, whether or not the murder occurred at the same time a felony was committed, the type of felony that was committed, and other circumstances.
According to the Connecticut Penal Code, murder is defined as causing the death of another person when the offender has the intent to cause death. A murder charge becomes a murder with special circumstances when the offender:
Sex crimes are some of the most serious offenses a person can be charged with. When sex crimes involve children, the situation becomes even more serious, and the penalties can be severe. An arrest, or even an accusation, for crimes related to the possession or distribution of child pornography can follow you for your entire life. If convicted of child pornography charges, you will be required to register as a sex offender in the state of Connecticut, which can make your life even more difficult.
Those who have been accused of crimes related to child pornography will likely be worried about how their life will be affected. Unfortunately, these types of charges can result from seemingly innocuous activities or because of the actions of another person, and an alleged offender will likely wonder how their career, personal relationships, and criminal record will be affected. If you are facing child pornography charges, it is imperative that you hire a skilled criminal defense attorney.
The United States has a long and complicated history with cannabis. Back in colonial times, hemp -- which is a non-intoxicating strain of the cannabis plant -- was a very important crop for early settlers. Virginia even passed a law in 1619 requiring every farm in the colony to grow hemp. By 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was passed and effectively banned the sale and use of marijuana, though the act was replaced by the Controlled Substances Act in the 1970s.
Now that 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states have legalized medical marijuana, the prevalence of marijuana-related DUI is of concern to lawmakers across the country. In the state of Connecticut, medical marijuana is legal, but recreational marijuana is not legal -- yet.
The trucking industry in the United States is alive and well. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), there were 33.8 million trucks registered in the U.S. and used for business purposes in 2015. Trucks were responsible for moving 71% of America’s freight by weight and generated nearly $739 billion in gross revenues in 2016. Though it is safe to say that trucks are an integral part of the country’s economic system, they can be quite dangerous, especially if they are involved in a motor vehicle collision, which is not uncommon. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were an estimated 119,000 injury crashes and 4,213 fatal crashes involving trucks in 2016.
The FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a study in 2007 to try to pinpoint certain causes of semi-truck crashes. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study looked at a multitude of different truck crashes over a span of multiple years and determined what they believe to be some of the top causes of truck crashes. According to the study, driver fatigue was estimated to cause around 13 percent of all large truck crashes.
In 2012, Connecticut saw one of the worst school shootings in history. Twenty first-grade children and six adults were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Since then, there has been a massive overhaul in gun laws in the state of Connecticut, making them more strict than ever. Disobeying gun laws can mean years in prison and hefty fines, which is why it is crucial for anyone facing weapons charges to work with a skilled criminal defense lawyer.
Connecticut law recognizes four types of firearms. The categories of firearms are as follows:
One of the most notorious and discussed news stories about sexual violence on a college campus in recent years is that of Brock Turner, a Stanford University student who was charged with sexual assault in 2016. Though Turner was convicted, he only ended up receiving a sentence of six months in jail, and he only actually served three of those months. This case sparked a great deal of conversation about how sexual assault charges are handled and the potential punishments that college students and others may face in these situations.
There are several different degrees of sexual assault that a person can be charged with in Connecticut, and they all carry different consequences. Sexual assault charges in Connecticut are as follows:
Most Americans rely on motor vehicles to go about their daily lives. According to the Pew Research Center, around 88 percent of American households have at least one car. While cars are one of the best inventions in modern history, they also bring with them certain dangers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that there were more than 7.2 million police-reported traffic accidents in 2016 alone.
After a car accident, you will typically want to file a claim with the insurance company of the driver who was at fault, and it may be necessary to pursue a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries. Sometimes, liability is not always immediately obvious, and it is important to gather evidence that will demonstrate who was at fault for the accident. A skilled personal injury can help obtain the necessary evidence, including:
Sex crimes are some of the most serious and harshly punished crimes there are. Even just being accused of a sex crime can have a negative and long-lasting impact on your life. The state of Connecticut does not take kindly to those who are convicted of being a sex offender, and consequences can be even more severe for those who are convicted of a sex offense involving a minor child. If you are convicted of a sex crime in Connecticut, you could a face long prison sentence, extremely expensive fines, and the requirement to register as a sex offender.
In Connecticut, sex offenses are broken down into degrees. Though all sex offenses are extremely serious, first-degree sexual assault is the most harshly punished, and fourth-degree sexual assault is one of the lesser offenses. When it comes to sexual offenses involving victims who are minors, the same laws apply as if the victim was an adult, but the charges automatically become much more serious, and the consequences become more harsh.
For years now, many lawmakers have agreed that the United States criminal justice system has needed major reforms. Many bills intended to address this issue have been introduced in the past few years, but most have fallen on deaf ears in Congress and have not made their way to the President’s desk. This all changed in December 2018 when President Trump signed the FIRST STEP Act into law. The FIRST STEP Act is one of the first major changes to sentencing for federal drug crimes and is intended to help reduce the prison population. It will also help those who are newly convicted with drug crimes.
The FIRST STEP Act pushes the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to assess the risks and needs for every offender when they are sentenced. Then, the BOP will attempt to reduce the rate of reoffending through individualized and evidence-based plans, which will be offered to all inmates. Programs that could be a part of these plans may include substance abuse treatment, mental health care, anger-management courses, job training, educational support, and even faith-based initiatives.
If you are arrested because you are suspected of committing a crime, there are certain procedures that must be followed. Before police can begin to interrogate you or ask you questions, they are required to read you your rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. These rights, known as Miranda Rights, include your right to remain silent or not incriminate yourself, your right to an attorney (or if you cannot afford an attorney, your right to have an attorney appointed for you at no cost), and your right to have your attorney present before you answer any questions.
Protecting the Constitutional rights of citizens has always been of great importance to both the federal government and individual state governments. Because of this, supreme courts often hear cases that assert that people were wrongly convicted of a crime because their Constitutional rights were violated. This is exactly the case in a recent appeals case heard by the Connecticut Supreme Court.
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