A DUI is a considerable legal hurdle for the everyday person; however, if you are a college student and an athlete, the repercussions of a DUI extend far beyond the scope of the sentence. As a college student, you will likely face both legal and disciplinary actions from the school you attend following a DUI…
As adolescents blossom it’s natural to expect that they will make mistakes that can possibly have negative consequences; however when these mistakes extend to criminal matters, a minor’s bright future can take a turn for the worst. These days, a typical school yard fight can lead to an arrest for assault and battery. What was…
While there have been fewer arrests of juveniles for minor crimes overall, the use of civil citations throughout Florida has been sporadic and sparse. Fifty of the sixty-seven counties in the state used civil citations in the past year less than 60% of the time, earning the state an “F” by the report “Stepping Up:…
Throughout the country, an accidental shooting ends the life of a child every other day. According to the Tampa Bay Times, a child 17 and under dies every 17 hours in Florida alone. Firearm shootings killed or injured nearly 3,200 kids between 2010 and 2015; the number of deaths and injuries children have sustained since…
When it comes to juvenile justice, America handles things quite differently from other developed countries. In 2005, the United States was the last Western nation to abolish the juvenile death penalty. Today, it remains the only country in the world where judges sentence children to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Estimates from…
In this land of opportunity, adulthood begins at eighteen. At eighteen, you gain your full rights and responsibilities. You are legally able to vote, sign contracts, marry, and even die for your country. Though you cannot drink alcohol, you can make decisions that will seriously impact your future because you are deemed competent enough to…
Can you guess the worst state in which to be an adolescent facing trouble with the law? If you answered Florida, you’d be right. Though New York and North Carolina stand out for having the lowest age at which juveniles can be tried as adults no matter what their crimes (16), Florida transfers more kids…
The terms homicide, murder, and manslaughter are all legal terms associated with the killing of human beings. Homicide is an umbrella term that describes the killing of a human being by another human being. There may be instances in which a homicide is lawful — such as when police must shoot to kill a suspect…
When most people think about crime, they focus on violent crime like murder, burglary, rape, and assault. One would assume these are the types of crime police are most concerned with, yet this is not always so. When police work to reduce crime, their primary focus is on the number of arrests they make rather…
Not everyone who is convicted of a criminal offense in Florida spends time in jail or prison. Probation is sometimes chosen as an alternative to incarceration that gives the offender a second chance at a normal life to some extent. In Florida, probation may also be mandated to help ease the overcrowding in the county…
