Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Many defendants charged with Jacksonville Petit Theft enter a plea of guilty or no contest to the offense without regard to the consequences such plea may have on the status of their Florida driver's license. A plea to a Jacksonville theft crime may result in Florida driver's license suspension ranging from 6 months for a first theft conviction to 12 months for a second or subsequent conviction.

Florida Statute Section 812.0155 gives the court the authority to order a Florida Driver's License suspension for anyone convicted of a theft crime. Additionally, this law mandates that the court order the suspension of a Florida Driver's License for anyone that has more than one conviction of theft.

If you are charged with a Theft Crime in Jacksonville, contact a Jacksonville Theft Attorney to discuss all aspect of your case.  

Jacksonville Juvenile, Joshua Phillips, was sentenced to life in Florida State Prison approximately 10 years, but he has spent in the past eleven years in custody for the murder of Maddie Clifton.  At the time of the Jacksonville homicide, Joshua was only 14 years old, and Maddie was 8 years old. Due to the circumstances surrounding the crime, the presiding Duval County Florida judge sentenced Joshua to life without parole, the harshest sentence available to juveniles of that age.

Many Jacksonville Florida residents have a strong opinion one way or another about this case. Some follow the "eye for an eye" theory. They believe that Joshua should not be given a second chance, because Maddie cannot have a second chance. This theory concentrates more on retribution than on rehabilitation. Perhaps, the belief revolves around the idea that a person that commits a certain type of crime is beyond rehabilitation, no matter the age of the offender.

On the other hand, others believe that Joshua should have the opportunity to present evidence to a parole board in order to determine if he has been sufficiently rehabilitated to reenter society. In fact, the Juvenile Justice Accountability and Improvement Act, H.R. 2289, is a congressional bill that is pending regarding this matter. H. R. 2289 would allow Jacksonville Juvenile Defendants, such as Joshua, to go before the parole board. Those that support this act believe that juveniles should not be treated as adults. This theory is premised on the research that has established that juveniles' brains are not fully developed. Therefore, they cannot be held to the same standard as adults.  Visit freejosh.com for more information.  

To learn more about Jacksonville Juvenile Criminal Cases, contact a Jacksonville Juvenile Lawyer.

In my practice as a Jacksonville Domestic Violence Attorney, I have seen many men that were the true "victims" in domestic violence cases. Quite often, a woman will become violent with the man. In some cases, the man must defend himself from her. However, if the police come to the door, they may listen to both stories, but they end up arresting the man or both of them for Jacksonville Domestic Battery. This is based upon the premise and stereotype that men are the abusers in a relationship, but this is not always the case.

A recent U.S. study surveyed 11,000 men and women. This study "found that according to both men's and women's accounts, 50 percent of the violence in their relationships was reciprocal (involving both parties). In those cases, the women were more likely to have been the first to strike. Moreover, when the violence was one-sided, both women and men said that women were the perpetrators about 70 percent of the time." For an great example of such a situtation, read "No One Believed Me: When Men Are Victims of Domestic Violence" by Glenn Sacks, M.A. and Ned Holstein, M.D.

Jacksonville, Florida is no different from the rest of the country. Jacksonville residents are arrested for alleging abusing their girlfriends or wives that do not deserve to be. That is why it is important to address every Jacksonville domestic violence case with an open mind, and not succumb to stereotypes.

In Putnam County, Florida, a 16-year-old girl was conviction of murder, burglary, and assault. While in police custody, the Florida teen confessed to helping her boyfriend kill the disable 66-year-old man. It took the jury only two hours to find her guilty.

Confessions can be devastating to a criminal case. In most instances, the defendant is lured into the confession. Often, a police officer states that the defendant is only helping herself by speaking with him, but this is far from the truth. Any one that is charged with a crime, should exercise their right to remain silent and have an attorney present for questioning. If a defendant wants to answer and officer's questions, she should have an attorney in the room when doing so. Police officers have experience in interrogating suspects, whereas most suspects do not have experience in this area. Thus, the playing field is not level. In order to keep things fair, an attorney should be there to advise the defendant.

As a Jacksonville criminal defense lawyer, I have represented many clients that had great cases until I received a copy of the confession. In some cases, I was able to get the confession suppressed, so the jury never gets to hear it. However, this does not happen in all cases. The moral of the story... when an police office says "you have the right to remain silent," do not talk. If you still have the desire to speak with the officer, tell him that you will speak to him, but you would like to have an attorney present. If he does not want to talk to you after that, then he has something to hide.

For more information about confessions, contact a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer.