Tag Archives: Pennsylvania law
National Transportation Safety Board Calls for Lowering Blood Alcohol Limits
According to Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol Impaired Driving —a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — nearly 10,000 people are killed in automobile accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers each year in the United States. Another 173,000 are injured, 27,000 of whom suffer incapacitating injuries. Although the actual number of highway fatalities […]
What New Fines for Underage Drinking Can Mean to You
Getting stopped for driving under the influence (DUI) is the last thing young partygoers think about when heading out for an evening of friends and fun. But it can weigh heavily on their minds when they are hit with the new fines for underage drinking that went into effect on Christmas Eve 2012. The increase […]
Qualifying for the Berks County DUI Alternative to Jail
A new father celebrating the birth of his son with a few beers gets arrested for a DUI (driving under the influence). Will he have to spend the first days of his new son’s life in a county jail? Berks County has an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) Program for DUI. This program is an alternative […]
What is the STOP Program?
When a state trooper and a middle school principal are stopped in Berks County for driving under the influence (DUI), you know that drinking and driving is a serious problem. It is estimated that in the United States, 50 percent of first time DUI offenders and 80 percent of second and subsequent DUI offenders will […]
New Megan’s Law Casts a Wider Net
A man interferes with his wife’s visitation rights, a teenage girl has sex with her younger boyfriend, and an amateur photographer takes pictures of young girls in the park. Will these people have to register under the new Megan’s Law that just went into effect in Pennsylvania? The answers can be frightening. The new law […]
Straight Shooting: Kids and Guns
Just like in the aftermath of the Amish school shooting in Lancaster County in 2006, kids and guns have been in the news a lot after the Newtown school massacre and for good reason. In 2011, minors under age 18 made up over one quarter of those arrested for illegal possession of weapons in Pennsylvania. […]
Pennsylvania’s Ignition Interlock Device Rules
After finding that alcohol was a major factor in wrong-way driving crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board recently recommended that states require ignition interlock devices (IIDs) to be installed on cars driven by anyone convicted of driving under the influence (DUI), even first-time offenders. Currently, PA law only requires an IID to be installed after […]
How to Get Juvenile Records Expunged
When juveniles are convicted of a crime, the stain can follow them throughout their lives. It can affect educational opportunities, credit ratings, the ability to join the military, and the pursuit of job prospects. This can be true even if the information in the files is outdated or just plain wrong. Fortunately, there is a […]
How Your Immigration Status Can Complicate Your Criminal Case
Many legal residents and undocumented immigrants do not understand the significant impact of their immigration status on their criminal case. Because certain criminal convictions can result in removal or exclusion from the U.S., criminal cases involving those with immigration issues must be handled differently than other types of cases. Some plea agreements that would be […]
Law Enforcement Use of Warrantless GPS Tracking in Pennsylvania Drug Cases
Technological innovations like GPS tracking devices can simplify our lives, but they also have a darker side that can threaten our personal liberty and privacy. Law enforcement agencies are increasingly utilizing GPS tracking tools to monitor movements of citizens often without providing probable cause to a judge or obtaining a warrant. The U.S. Supreme Court […]
