Information on White Collar Crimes

White-collar crimes once referred to illegal acts committed by business people in the course of their employment. However, now any non-violent and sophisticated economic crime would qualify as a white-collar crime. As a rule, white-collar crimes verlap with corporate crime because the opportunity for fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, and forgery is more available to white-collar employees.

White-collar crimes are usually associated with business and do not involve violence or bodily injury to another person. Those crimes generally associated with lending institutions which involve bank fraud, such as making false statements to obtain a loan, filing false reports or returns with government agencies, embezzlement, using the mail or wire communications to defraud, and paying or accepting bribes are considered to be white-collar crimes.

Depending upon whether state or federal laws have been violated, white collar crime may be prosecuted in state or federal courts. The penalties for such crimes usually vary, but in some cases they may be as severe as those prescribed for violent crimes. In any case it is wise to talk with an attorney before answering any questions, if you are questioned by a law enforcement officer or another governmental agent about possible criminal conduct.

Visit New York Attorneys at http://www.nylawprofessionals.com for any law assistance.

Crime Scene Forensics - Analyzing Properties of Glass Found at a Crime Scene

Suppose a person became the victim of a hit-and-run accident in which the perpetrator drove off without stopping to check if anybody got hurt yet leaving clues of broken glass at the scene of the crime.

How do crime scene investigators (CSI's) go about studying the shards of glass? In this article, I will attempt to explain how glass is analyzed by studying its inherent properties.

What is glass?

Heating a combination of silicon dioxide (a component in sand), calcium carbonate (a component in stone), and sodium carbonate (a component in soda) produces a new chemical product called glass. During the heating process, there are additional other chemicals added to change the qualities of the glass, and these various impurities become incorporated into the final glass product. It is up to the criminalist to determine the chemical composition of these additives and impurities. Knowing these facts can aid in either matching an unknown sample to a known source or weeding it out.

Scientifically studying the physical, optical, and chemical makeup of glass can point to a particular manufacturer to aid in a criminal investigation. A piece of glass from a truck windshield or turn signal lamp may indicate the make, model, and sometimes the year of a vehicle involved in a hit-skip incident, used in a crime, or involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Measuring glass density: In order to measure glass density, a cylindrical-shaped container filled with liquids of known various densities is used.

The most common liquids used in the cylinder are bromoform and bromobenzene. Both liquids are mixed together, and then the glass sample is added. Then another one or the other of the liquids is added until the glass sample is suspended in the mixture; i.e. the sample is neither floating at the top nor sinking at the bottom of the container. Once the glass sample is suspended, it can be concluded that the glass and liquid mixture have the same density. Since both the liquids have known densities, the crime scene technician can calculate the density of the mixture and of the glass with little problems. Scientifically speaking, when a known piece of glass is suspended (control), and an unknown piece is dropped into the container (experimental), if the unknown is suspended too, the criminal scientist can conclude that the two pieces of glass have the same densities. On the other hand, if the unknown piece of glass either sinks or floats, the two pieces of glass do not share consistent density and therefore do not come from the same source.

Analyzing light transmission, reflection, and refraction: Different glass products can transmit, reflect, and refract light in different ways. Light transmission refers to light passing through glass much like sunlight through a windshield. Light reflection refers to light bouncing off glass. Light refraction refers to light passing through glass but its pathway is bent. An example of refracted light is when you stick a straight stick into water and note that the stick is "bent." It is the medium, water (like glass), that changes slightly the direction of light giving you the appearance that the stick is bent. Different kinds of glass vary in one or more of these optical properties. Experimentally, a crime scene laboratory technician can show that two pieces of glass are similar, if they have the same optical properties.

For instance, you can check the refractive index by submerging a piece of glass in liquid with a refractive index that changes when the temperature of that liquid changes. Silicon oil is a good liquid to use. As heat is added and raises the temperature of the oil, the temperature at which the glass piece looks like it is going to disappear indicates that the refractive indices of both the glass and the oil are the same. Since the refractive index of silicon oil is known throughout any temperature, measuring the temperature of the liquid at its heated state shows the refractive index of the unknown piece of glass.

Analyzing chemical properties: A forensic laboratory technician can check for any additional chemicals or impurities in glass with an inclination toward matching the chemical composition of the known and unknown samples. Any differences found by the criminal scientist allow him to rule out the known source as the source of the unknown piece of glass.

Knowing the density, optical properties, and chemical composition of glass found at the scene of a crime can bring crime scene investigators one step closer to solving a crime.

The next time you watch your favorite CSI or Forensic Files TV show, you will have a better understanding of how glass is studied in a crime lab in order to bring a perpetrator to justice.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS SuperStore. This virtual store specializes in crime prevention tools where you can buy cheap stun guns, kubaton keychains, hidden video spy surveillance cameras, nunchaku training videos, civilian Tasers, expandable steel batons, and many other personal safety products.

White-On-White Crime

We are very familiar with the term "black-on-black crime," because every year in America thousands of blacks assault and kill other African Americans. Over 90% of blacks are killed by members of their own race. Every year, more blacks are killed than were lynched in the entire twentieth century. We examine these statistics carefully and with lament. This is obviously not the freedom Dr. King sought.

Many leap to the conclusion that race and crime are related, that blacks are more dangerous and more likely to commit crimes. Some of the statistics can be explained away by structural racism perhaps, but the very hard statistics on murders and gun violence cannot be erased with that analysis. What explains the higher crime rates among African Americans? Is there a genetic predisposition to violence, more testosterone perhaps? Do poverty, lack of education and access to guns cause blacks to murder and suffer death? What role does the continuing deterioration of the family play? All of these are good questions to ask, but one thing is certain: the biological race of the criminal has very little to do with crime. The facts are these:

Before Emancipation, African American slaves were considered very safe individuals and had significantly lower crime rates than whites. Slaves did not typically have free access to alcoholic beverages. Some Southern states outlawed gambling by slaves. Slaveholders heavily discouraged fighting among slaves (boxing excepted), because slave owners did not want their valuable property injured. Slaveholders encouraged religious activity in the later antebellum period. Most slaves were married at young ages, usually informally by "jumping the broom," and had children early in life. Marriage and families are still significant deterrents to criminal activity. Slaves worked very hard, especially during the growing and harvest seasons, and had little excess energy for fighting and crime. Slaves could not own firearms and only used them when permitted to hunt by their masters. Slaves did not often leave their plantations, and thus status challenges were less frequent than those we see in modern urban life. The plantation regime governed to promote agricultural and industrial production, which necessarily discouraged violence.

In antebellum days, whites committed more crimes than blacks on a percentage basis and in absolute numbers. Antebellum whites had free access to whiskey and frequently gambled. Young white males could roam freely, encountering unfamiliar people and communities. White males might travel to the city or frontier where crimes were more likely to occur. While crime tended to decline in the 1800's, it increased in areas that industrialized.

Gun violence was both impromptu and organized in the form of duels. Dueling formalized the status challenge with deadly consequences in the upper portions of Southern society. Thousands of Southern men died in illegal duels, despite legislation eventually prohibiting the practice. In 1852, the State of Alabama added to the criminal prohibition by allowing the personal representative of a deceased's estate to sue the killing duelist in a wrongful death action.

When a Southern physician was on the road alone at night in antebellum days, the appearance of another white man gave the doctor some concern for his personal safety. If the doctor saw an African American at night, on the other hand, he was cheered up and glad to see them. This dramatic turnaround in perceived danger proves that race and crime are not truly related. Forget race. It all boils down to discipline.

To study racial role reversal, please look inside "Prison and Slavery - A Surprising Comparison," http://www.amazon.com/dp/1432753835. John Dewar Gleissner, Esq. graduated from Auburn University (B.A. with Honor, 1973) and Vanderbilt University School of Law (1977).

El Maquinista and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

'El Maquinista' is a movie about a man whose subconscious keeps making him thinner and thinner. While he committed a terrible crime, he is unable to see himself as a criminal; in fact, he does not remember the fact that he committed a terrible crime. However, deep inside his memory remembers his crime, and this drives him to make him thinner and thinner so that he can physically remove his existence in time. 'El Maquinista' is apparently heavily influenced by Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment'. As a matter of fact, quite a few specific similarities between 'El Maquinista' and 'Crime and Punishment' are found.

i) Similarities in two storylines

1. 'Crime and Punishment' has three parts. Part 1 is the murder that the main character commits, Part 2 is his discovery and acceptance of the crime and Part 3 is rebirth of the main character. 'El Maquinista' basically takes out Part 1 and Part 3 and only focuses on Part 2. The main character in 'El Maquinista', Trevor Reznik played by Christian Bale is unable to discover and accept the fact that he killed a young boy; he has no physical defect, yet he is psychologically so tormented that he cannot connect his life and the murder that he committed. Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment also experiences similar difficulty in accepting the fact that he murdered a person.

1.2. While both characters have great difficulty in accepting their crimes, they both choose to suffer to seek salvation subconsciously. Trevor Reznik keeps losing weight; he physically suffers, and he keeps elevating the level of suffering as more time passes. Raskolnikov also chooses to suffer; he chooses to suffer psychologically more than physically, but the extent to which they both choose to suffer is rather extreme, and this is where we find similarities.

2. Both the woman who comforts the main character Trevor Reznik in 'El Maquinista', Stevie, and the woman who comforts the main character Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment are prostitutes, though they meet their women in different circumstances. Trevor Reznik meets Stevie as a customer, but Raskolnikov meets Sofya through Sofya's father; Raskolnikov is not a Sonya's customer. There are many similarities in how these two women comfort their men and guide them to free their soul.

ii) Similarities in symbolisms

Trevor Reznik becomes so thin that he almost does not exist physically. This symbolizes the state of his mind, which is that he does not want to exist. More specifically, he wishes that a part of him that killed a young boy would not exist. Raskolnikov does not fasten or torture himself physically, but he spends much time in his apartment. He also wants to stay low profile; he is not someone who wants everybody in town to know about him. While he is a very intelligent man and he has a strong will, his actions do not tell that he wants to raise his visibility.

'El Maquinista' is a well-crafted movie; the story has depth, and it's like a classic literature. If you enjoy reading a (dark) classic literature such as Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', you'd probably enjoy watching this movie.

J. Watanabe is the owner of the movie discussion forum Yet Another Movie Critique Website Forum. The forum is a part of Yet Another Movie Critique Website movie portal.

Juvenile Crime: Don't Let One Mistake Damage the Life of Your Child

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), delinquency case rates generally increase with the age of the juvenile. In 2008, U.S. law enforcement agencies arrested approximately 2.11 million youths under the age of 18. Unfortunately, the issue of juvenile delinquency is becoming more complicated and many crime prevention programs either don't exist or are unequipped to deal with the problem. In addition, as more and more concerns are raised about youth violence, a greater number of adolescent offenders are being handled in the adult criminal justice system. If your child has been charged with a juvenile crime, your first step should be to contact a qualified juvenile defense attorney to ensure your child's rights are protected.

Juveniles vs. Adult Offenders

The United States does not have a universal juvenile justice system; the laws differentiating between juvenile and adult offenders differ state-by-state. The main difference between the treatment of juvenile and adult offenders is that the juvenile court system focuses primarily on treatment and rehabilitation, while adult criminal courts are predicated on punishment. However, in more serious cases, a juvenile may be transferred to adult criminal court and tried as an adult, depending on the age of the offender, offending history, and the severity of the offense. Although many states indicate a minimum age for transfer averaging between ten and fifteen years old, nearly half of U.S. states do not specify a minimum age. In some states, there are statutory exclusion laws in place which dictate specific offenses for which prosecution as an adult is mandatory. Furthermore, as of January 2010, two U.S. states prosecute all 16- and 17-year-old juvenile offenders as adults.

Juvenile Delinquent Offenders

There are a number of circumstances dictating whether a youthful offender will be tried in juvenile court or adult criminal court, many of which vary depending on the state. If the prosecution charges an older juvenile with a particularly serious or violent offense, the prosecuting attorney may request that the juvenile be tried as an adult. An offender aged fifteen, sixteen or seventeen, for example, may be tried as an adult if they are charged with a violent crime like assault, arson or rape. Other examples of crimes which may lead juveniles to be tried in adult criminal court include:

Violent Crimes
Robbery
Homicide
Weapon's possession
Larceny/Theft
Vandalism
Auto theft
Burglary
Drug and Alcohol Violations
Drug possession
Liquor law violations
Drunk and disorderly conduct
Drug abuse
Intent to sell drugs

Juvenile Status Offenders

There are also certain offenses which apply only to juveniles and not to adults, called status offenses. In other words, these acts may be considered illegal when performed by individuals under a certain age, while remaining legal for others. Common status offenses include truancy, running away, curfew violations, incorrigibility, and underage alcohol consumption. Juvenile status offenders are distinguished from juvenile delinquent offenders in that the former offenders have not committed an act that would be considered a crime if it were committed by an adult, while the latter have.

Legal Help for Juvenile Offenders

When a minor commits a crime, they are often tried and sentenced by a court system separate from that which tries adult offenders. There are also separate institutions designated for juvenile offenders, called juvenile detention centers. After a juvenile commits a crime, it is up to the juvenile court to determine the degree of risk the juvenile poses to society, as well as the benefits incurred by incarceration in a juvenile detention center. Even though juveniles are typically treated differently than adults when charged with a crime, they still have the same rights. If your child has been charged with a juvenile crime, it is critical that you ensure your child's rights are protected. Don't let one mistake negatively affect the rest of your child's life; contact an experienced juvenile defense lawyer today.

For more information regarding juvenile crime, contact a juvenile criminal defense attorney. Andrew Sarski is a freelance author specializing in writing about legal matters.

Preventing Crimes at Home

Crimes happen everywhere, whether you are on the streets, inside your home, or in your office. You should always be alert and ready for any crimes that might happen. Some people think that they are safe inside their home but to their dismay, crimes still happen even inside your own premises. Criminals enter your home to take your prized belongings or inflict harm to any member of your family. For this reason, it is important that you follow crime prevention tips to keep you and your family safe.

There are many government entities that are committed to safeguarding and protecting us from harm. To be specific, our police are always on the lookout for criminals to prevent them from doing crimes or hurting the people within their designated area. But then, we should also learn to protect ourselves and our loved ones. One way to do it is by following simple tips to prevent crimes from happening inside our homes.

Below are some crime preventions tips that can help protect you and your family from being victims of crimes.

1.) Keep your house locked and well-lighted.

Make sure that every part of your home is well-lighted and even the outside of your home should have lamp posts so that you will see anybody that is prowling or hiding behind the bushes or near your gate. Even at night, make sure to keep your lights outside always turned on. Also, before going to sleep or leaving the house, you should keep your doors and windows securely locked. Tell other members of your family to keep your doors well-locked before leaving your home.

2.) Never allow strangers to enter your home.

Some criminals pretend to need something from you like using your phone or looking for a person when in fact they only want to enter your home and get your valuable possessions. They might even cause harm on you in order to make their plans work. If a stranger asks to use your phone, let him wait outside and tell him that you'll make the call for him.

3.) Prepare a list of important numbers.

Make a list of important numbers which include numbers of the nearest police station, hospital, office numbers of all family members and village guard. Teach small children how to dial 911 and to memorize the numbers of their police station. Keep the list in a visible location like posting them near the telephone or the refrigerator.

4.) Know your neighbors

It is important for you to know your neighbors and all the people in your area. That way you can easily distinguish a stranger from a resident. It is also best to befriend your neighbors and watch over their house when they're not around. For sure, they will also do the same when no one's inside your home.

5.) Conduct a background check before hiring an employee.

Before getting a new driver, housemaid, babysitter or security guard, you should conduct and background check and see if they have police records and if they have done a crime in the past. Ask them to present their police clearance, NBI clearance or any official clearances to prove their record is clean.

6.) Teach your children safety rules.

Your children should learn the basic safety rules that are important in protecting them especially when they're alone at home. Teach them to how to dial or memorize important numbers, how to lock the doors and windows, how they can reach you and what to do first when they notice stangers inside your home.

7.) Keep money in the bank.

Many crimes committed are considered an "inside job" mainly because a person which might be your housemaid or houseboy connects with outside criminals in robbing your house and getting your money or jewelry. To prevent this, you should keep your money in banks or keep them well hidden inside your home. Never inform anyone that you have huge amount of money within your home. Money is said to be the root of all evil and with money many crimes are committed because people are tempted to steal money from other people.

Are you planning to hire a new housemaid or security guard for your home? Well, you should first check their police records and see if they got a clean record. Click on the link to learn how to do background check online --> http://www.lookup-online.com/police-records

Crime Scene Evidence - Convictions Are Rare Without Physical Evidence From the Scene

Sensational homicides have populated the National news of late, and crime scene evidence seems to play a key part in many courtroom decisions. Numerous TV "Cop Shows" draw bigger and bigger audiences as the viewing public develops an insatiable appetite for the' blood and guts" of crime scene investigation.

Crime scene investigation (CSI) includes some basic methods that include forensic applications, photography, chemistry, physics, mathematics and just plain common sense. "How to Become a CSI" is a fast-growing industry among institutes of higher learning offering on-line diplomas and degrees in the discipline.

One fact is certain: No two crime scenes are very much alike.

Crime scene investigation must follow an orderly protocol-otherwise physical evidence may be misunderstood, mishandled, or missed altogether. The basics steps taught to crime scene investigators by many educational sources include, but are not limited to the following steps:

1. Protect Life and Property. The first responding officer(s) must take the steps necessary to protect life and property. First aid is rendered to the injured and aid in the form of emergency medical teams, crash-rescue units, fire departments and backup officers are summoned.

2. Secure the Scene. Officers must take steps to prevent damage to, or disruption (contamination) of the scene. Many experts in this field state that more harm is inflicted on crime scenes by the presence of law enforcement officers than from any other source. The first officers on the scene must make a quick determination of what constitutes the boundaries of the scene, and will then take steps to protect this area. This is where the inevitable "Yellow Crime Scene Tape" is introduced into the crime scene. Sentries must be placed at all possible points of entry and access will be denied to all not having a legitimate reason for entering the area.

3. Brief the Investigators. Except in very small law enforcement agencies-where the first responders may also wear the hats of crime scene investigators, the first responders will brief those on hand who will assume control of the scene and perform evidence search and collection. This briefing includes any observations made by initial officers and will relay statements made by by-standers, witnesses and victims.

4. Conduct a Walk-Thru. The walk-thru is a time spent making visual observations throughout the scene. Physical evidence can be in plain sight (weapons, spent-shell casings, blood, impression evidence (hand and footprints), etc. The investigator will make notes as potential crime scene evidence is revealed. The walk-thru skirts the perimeter of the areas where obvious physical evidence resides. All the while, the investigator is conscious of the fact that a great deal of evidence may be present that is not in plain view or is invisible in nature. Thus he must avoid walking through areas that may harbor footprints in dust, weak or invisible bloodstains or blood spatter and latent fingerprints.

5. Recording the Scene. Recording the scene most often begins with CSIs preparing a rough sketch of the area. Locations of furniture and other building contents are included as well as apparent items potentially useful as crime scene evidence. Outdoor scenes present different challenges so nearby vegetation, trees and similar fixed and moveable objects are sketched. Next comes photography. Overall, wide-angle photos record the scene prior to any efforts to locate physical evidence. Medium distance photos follow that show relative positions of evidential items with regard to each other, and then close-ups record specific items. Many agencies also use video to supplement still photographs. As far as human nature is involved, a jury's rapt attention is often stronger when videos are used to depict the scene. Video provides a sense of actually being at the scene for jurors.

6. Processing the Scene for Physical Evidence. This is the nitty-gritty phase of the investigation. Often, specialists skilled in locating and recovering dust impressions are joined by latent fingerprint technicians who will ply their expertise. In violent crime scenes, a blood spatter analyst will go to work.

7. Collecting the Physical Evidence. It is one thing to locate potential evidence, and it is another to gain the usefulness this evidence may possess. Collecting techniques may include an electrostatic dust print lifting system, superglue fuming of various items in order to reveal invisible latent fingerprints, and there is also a mix of physics and geometry when analyzing and recording blood spatter.

8. Packaging and Transporting Collected Evidence. Much of the evidence collected at a crime scene is very fragile in nature. This evidence may be damaged by handling and the packaging method, and it may deteriorate or "spoil" due to improper storage. Physiological fluids, and their potential for providing DNA profiles, are especially fragile and easily susceptible to damage or deterioration.

While some TV shows run through all of the above steps in just 45 minutes or so, it is apparent that investigating a crime scene can take many hours or even several days from start to finish.

The National Institute of Justice has performed in-depth research into the "CSI Effect." This is based on the premise that juries are being conditioned to expect to see the very same techniques used by TV actors to be employed by the real-life cadre of CSIs. What the general public expects to see are scientific principles and equipment resulting in "Slam-Dunk" prosecutions, while failing to comprehend that many of the techniques depicted on TV require extensive, virtually unlimited budgets to accomplish. See The NIJ video.

Most law enforcement CSIs are adapting to the budget crunch, and they are still able to bring the guilty to justice through their dedication and perseverance-despite the lack of sufficient funding.

Many law enforcement agencies have been forced to limit training and are coming to recognize that a great deal of specific crime scene training is available to them at no cost. The CSI Tech Blog offers specific training in Crime Scene Evidence disciplines, and it is a trusted source for learning the many techniques and procedures needed by today's crime scene teams. Visit CSI Tech Blog

Expert Author Don Penven is a freelance writer and professional photographer based in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC,

Detective and Crime Scene Investigator Career

Detectives are working in the police force as undercover investigators that will gather evidence for the criminal cases. Typically, they will determine who is accountable to the crimes that have been committed. Their scope of work is to visit the crime scenes and interview the witnesses and suspects, gathers complete information, documents the evidences, put the suspect under surveillance and participates in arresting.

Detectives usually are specialized in the particular fields of the crime like homicide, juvenile crime, fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and a lot more. Their cases are usually assigned by the supervisor, and they work with their cases until the arrest as well as the conviction is being made or after the case id being closed or dropped.

The duties of detectives are dangerous and stressful because they usually deal with the potential criminals. They are working long hours as they are on case investigation and they even work on holidays depending with the stressful demands of the job.

While the crime scene investigator are examining the crime location as well as collect and then analyze the necessary evidences that may point to the one who commits the crime. The investigator can work in the fields of gathering evidences in the crime scene, laboratory or field of analyzing evidence which are collected.

In this field of work, the crime scene Investigator can pursue a specialization in one, two or more of the variety investigations like, forensic photography, latent examination of fingerprint and document and Handwriting analysis and a lot more. More often, the investigator will start their career only as a general technician prior to specialization.

They should work well to the team of persons, and must have an excellent verbal communication and writing skills. Crime scene investigators must contain a better organizational skills, with excellent eye with every detail, can prioritize their job and can possess a good analytical solving skills.

Learn the working nature of Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators. For more Info, please visit us at: http://law-enforcement-careers.net/blog/

New York City Computer Crimes

The term "computer crimes" is not one often heard in criminal news. Most people don't even realize it exists. Nevertheless, it is specifically addressed by most states' legislatures. In New York, it is codified in Section 156 of New York Penal Code. This article, provides a short glimpse into what is considered a New York computer crime.

The most common offense is Unauthorized use of a computer. You may be guilty of this crime if you knowingly use a machine or a system without authorization and the computer or system you use is protected by password or another security feature. This offense is s a class A misdemeanor.

Another common charge is Computer Trespass, which means knowingly using a computer without authorization with an intent to commit or attempt to commit any felony or, alternatively, the person knowingly gains access to computer material. This is a class E felony offense.

Next in line is Computer tampering. This offense may be in several degrees depending on circumstances. You may be guilty of this tampering in the fourth degree for using a computer (even with permission) and intentionally altering or destroying data or a program of another person without permission to do so. Computer tampering in the fourth degree is a class A misdemeanor.

If, in addition to this, the person has an intent to commit any felony or if the person has been previously convicted of cyber crime or theft of services crime, or the act of deleting computer material was deliberate or with the intent to cause damages for more than $1000 dollars, the person may be guilty in computer tampering in the third degree, which is a class E felony.

New York computer tampering in the second degree involves committing the crime of computer tampering in the fourth degree plus intentionally altering or destroying data or a program so as to cause damages for more than three thousand dollars. Computer tampering in the second degree is a class D felony. Finally, if an act causes more than $50,000 in damages, the person could be guilty of computer tampering in the first degree, a class C felony.

Tampering aside, another line of statutes deals with illegal copying of computer related material. Under NY Penal Law 156.30, a person may be guilty of unlawful duplication of computer related material when they illegally copy or duplicate software or any program data causing owners economic damages in the amount of more than $2,500 or copying these materials with an intent to commit felony. Unlawful duplication of computer related material is a class E felony.

You don't have to illegally duplicate software to violate the statute. Simple possession of stolen data may be a felony, too. For example, under Section 156.35, a person is guilty of criminal possession of computer related material when having no right to do so, he knowingly possesses, a copy, reproduction or duplicate of any data or program which was copied, reproduced or duplicated in violation of section 156.30 with intent to benefit himself or a person other than an owner. Criminal possession of computer related material is a class E felony.

New York law allows for some defenses in cyber crimes cases. Some of them include a defense that the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe that he had authorization to do all the proscribed activities.

Joseph Potashnik is a Computer Crimes Attorney in NYC He represents people accused of state and federal offenses, including white-collar and fraud crime, drugs and weapons crimes, and computer crimes. He also defends professionals such as physicians and teachers facing professional discipline. Please visit Mr. Potashnik's website at http://www.jpdefense.com for more information.

Delhi, the Crime Capital of India

Delhi is the national capital, but the law and order is not the best in the world. In fact it is abysmally poor, with day light murders and rapes a frequent occurrence. Recently two girls were walking along the road, when a car pulled up near them and one of the girls was pulled inside the car and it sped off. This too in broad daylight, when tens of commuters were around. The girl after repeated rape was left on the roadside. The silver lining was that she was not murdered.

Crimes in Delhi

Such crimes have been the bane of Delhi. Who can forget the gruesome rape and murder of two Children nearly three decades back. The Killers Ranga and Billa have been hanged, but that is small consolation to the mass of women and girls who are subject to similar acts all over Delhi. The sad part is that crimes that took place three decades back are being repeated with alarming frequency. The crime graph is on the upswing. In fact, one reads of daily daylight murders and abductions all over Delhi.

Reasons

The reasons for this alarming crime rate are many. One of them is the lax law enacted by the Morarji Desai Janta regime in 1977, which amended the law and made getting bail easier. Thus a rapist or murderer easily gets bails and the deterrent of time in jail is dispensed with. In addition the law and order in Delhi is a Central Government prerogative and the Delhi state government has no responsibility. This leads to a piquant situation and the sufferer is the law and order situation. Another aspect of the crime rate is the lax police approach. Many a time the police do not record FIR's as they would like to keep their books regarding crime clean. In addition the western UP criminal tribes come to Delhi commit the crimes and head back. But these tribes usually take part in robbery and murder. But rape and sex related crimes are the handiwork of local boys. Some of them are the children of known politicians, who are shielded by their parents. An example is the case of Nitesh kataraia.This boy was murdered by the son of a well known politician, as the boy could not accept kataria's love affair with his sister. The government of India which is responsible for the law and order of Delhi, must act before Delhi slithers further down the road of crime and anarchy.

How To Combat Organised Crime

Crime is a problem that society will always have difficulty tackling. It is hard to prevent murder happening or crimes involving emotion of some sort. However, it is possible to reduce crimes that involve illegally obtained wealth by simply taking it away from the criminals.

Confiscation was introduced as a method by which it was hoped that crime would no longer pay. If a person could not explain how he obtained any of his wealth he would lose it by default. This was targeted at crime lords and organised criminals who were often thought to be beyond the law. They amassed enough criminal wealth so that if caught committing fraud or fencing stolen goods they could employ the services of expensive criminal defence lawyers and criminal defence forensic accountants to minimise the sanctions imposed upon them.

Now the prosecution authorities look less at the specifics of the crime on its own, and often simply ask how the accused obtained his money. If it was obtained illegally, it will be impossible for him to explain its source and it is not enough to provide vague explanations. Detailed accounts are necessary. If the money was obtained legally but no records kept, this can pose just as much a problem as when criminal proceeds are the issue. Any wealth is still assumed to be the proceeds of criminal activity - or it might be revenue that is avoiding being taxed. The tax on it plus interest and penalties will add up to the same result. The money is still confiscated by the authorities.

The confiscation system was strengthened considerably in 2003 with the enforcement of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The Act introduced and strengthened a lot of measures which many say are too heavy handed and sometimes even "unfair". The intention was to create a system that allowed wealth to be taken away from the organised criminals, by being able to make assumptions that any wealth was from crime. It was up to the accused to explain where any wealth came from and if he couldn't it would be taken away. The trouble is that the assumptions can be made on any person deemed to have a criminal lifestyle and the criteria for this are fairly light.

If a person has committed several crimes, or committed a crime over a period of six months, or if the crimes are for amounts adding up to at least £5,000 - then the person is deemed to have a criminal lifestyle and all assets held and every transaction for the previous six years are deemed to be criminal.

This might mean that a shoplifter who gets caught two or three times could potentially stand to lose every asset including his family home. In addition, he would need to account for every credit shown on his bank statements and every outgoing debit for six years prior to the date of the commencement of proceedings. If an order made within a confiscation is not paid on time, a substantial additional prison sentance can result.

The confiscation of wealth does work for serious criminals, but can be seen as "overkill" in the cases of some smaller crimes.

Mark Jenner is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Certified Fraud Examiner and has a Masters Degree in Fraud Management. He runs his own forensic accountancy business specialising in confiscation proceedings and criminal defence matters.

Drug Charges and Drug-Related Crimes

The government has noticed a strong tie between illegal drugs and other crimes. In fact, one study found that people who use illicit drugs are 16 times more likely to be arrested for crimes like larceny or theft. Thus, it should come as no surprise that law enforcement officials are very serious about drug charges and other drug-related crimes.

First, it is crime to participate in any stage of the creation of drugs. You can be charged with crimes such as the manufacture of illegal substances, the distribution of illicit drugs, and the possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. These are generally called drug-defined crimes. If you participate in other crimes, such as auto theft or burglary, while taking illegal drugs, these crimes are called drug-related offenses.

Next, drugs are often tied to several other types of crimes, like child endangerment. Child endangerment is a charge that is often applied to other crimes. For instance, if a person chooses to drink and drive with a child in the vehicle, the driver can be charged with DUI child endangerment. This also applies illegal drug activity. Should a person manufacture or abuse drugs in the presence of children, the drug abuser can be charged with the drug-defined charge as well as child endangerment.

Another drug-related offense is sexual assault. Some people will give victims drugs like benzodiazepines in order to make them helpless to fight back against rape or other types of sexual assault. Although benzodiazepines may be prescribed as anti-depressants, people can illegally acquire these medications to carry out various forms of sexual assault.

If you are charged with a drug-defined crime or a drug-related offense, this can leave a permanent black mark on your record. Then, you may be forced to report this on every application you fill out, work or otherwise. This can prevent you from reaching your goals and living your life normally. If you have been accused of these crimes, you should not face them without the help of an experienced attorney. For more information, please contact a Dallas drug defense lawyer from the Lassiter Law Offices today.

California Drug Crimes

In the United States, controlled substances are strictly regulated under state and federal drug laws. It is against the law to possess, cultivate, manufacture or distribute illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and heroine. It is also unlawful to commit prescription fraud crimes. Such crimes include obtaining a prescription by untruthful means, selling prescription medication to someone other than the person to whom it was prescribed or selling prescription medications in a "back door" pharmacy type operation.

Drug crimes can be charged against a single person with a small amount of marijuana, or a high school student selling ecstasy or someone trafficking large amounts of cocaine across state lines. Since drug crimes cover such a wide spectrum of offenses, almost no one can evade the potential of being convicted, whether an upstanding citizen or a career criminal.

Drug Crimes in California

Let's take a look at a few of the specific criminal offenses that pertain to drugs, under California law:


"Possession of a Controlled Substance" - Health and Safety Code Section 11350
"Possession for Sale of Narcotics" - Health and Safety Code Section 11351
"Sale or Transportation of a Controlled Substance" - Health and Safety Code Section 11352
"Possession of Drug Paraphernalia" - Health and Safety Code Section 11364
"Possession of Methamphetamine" - Health and Safety Code Section 11377
"Manufacturing Drugs & Narcotics" - Health and Safety Code Section 11379.6
"Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance" - Health and Safety Code Section 11550

A defendant may face criminal charges related to possession of a controlled substance or may be arrested and charged for manufacturing, transporting or selling drugs. A defendant may even be criminally charged for being "under the influence" of an illegal drug.

These crimes are frequently charged against minors. In these cases they are considered juvenile crimes and are typically handled in the juvenile courts. Unfortunately, minors can be easily influenced by their peers and wind up partaking in the illegal consumption or sale of drugs such as marijuana, their parents' prescription medication, or exchanging club drugs at parties or nightclubs. How the minor's case is handled by the prosecution will depend upon their age, the nature of the drug offense and any prior criminal history. An experienced attorney can help both the minor and the parents by aggressively pursuing the lightest sentence possible, so as to avoid serious penalties for the accused.

A suspect can be arrested and convicted of any type of offense related to an illegal controlled substance. Possession of a small amount of drugs for personal use, drug paraphernalia on a person or in their control or growth of one or more marijuana plants are all illegal acts. Nearly any type of activity connected with drugs is criminalized and can be punished to the full extent of the law. For this reason, it is essential that a person who is arrested retain the services of a highly experienced criminal defense lawyer who can use their experience and negotiation skills to alleviate the criminal consequences that the accused faces.

Penalties for Drug-Related Offenses

Drug crimes range in severity with the possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use being a "lesser" drug offense, and running a full scale drug trafficking operation being a much greater offense. The crimes can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on a variety of factors. For example, the type, amount and intent are all taken into consideration when making a charge. The prosecution and the judge will also evaluate whether the suspect has a prior criminal history, and they will examine the circumstances surrounding the case. A skilled criminal defense attorney can help you defend your rights and make sure that the more positive aspects of the situation do not get overlooked by the prosecution. These tactics will help ensure that you are not sentenced with harsher penalties than necessary.

Someone found with less than an ounce of marijuana on their person will most likely face misdemeanor penalties whereas someone found operating a methamphetamine lab will face felony charges and years behind bars. Whenever a person is arrested for a drug crime it is always in their best interests to seek legal representation from a private criminal defense attorney. Even if someone is found in possession of a small amount of drugs for recreational use, their arrest and subsequent criminal conviction could have a lasting effect on their family and their future career. Having the right lawyer on your side during the criminal process could mean the difference between spending time behind bars or being placed on probation. Especially if it is your first arrest or offense, there may be alternatives to jail available that might allow you to maintain your freedom and avoid a lengthy term sentence. You are urged to take a moment to contact a criminal defense lawyer in your area who can work on your behalf, aggressively seeking the least severe criminal penalties for you.

Martinian & Associates, Inc. has been obtaining powerful and workable results for their clients in the Los Angeles area for years. Their firm handles all types of criminal defense charges including drug charges, federal crimes, sex crimes and more serious crimes such as manslaughter and murder. Through years of experience, the team has developed effective strategies which have helped their clients receive reduced penalties, lighter sentences and even dropped charges. No case is too large or too small when it comes to seeking the representation you deserve. If you would like to learn more about how they may be able to help, contact a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at (888) 847-9821.

White Collar Crimes

White collar crime tends to refer to crimes committed at a business by a businessman or woman. Criminology expert and sociologist, Edwin Sutherland, in a 1939 speech, coined the term. A white collar criminal is considered less likely to commit another crime, and punishment may be softer than for crimes involving violence. Evidence in a white collar crime usually involves a "paper trail," of evidence that investigators use to prosecute the case.

Types of White Collar Crimes



Embezzlement - the taking of someone's property by a person with whom it is entrusted.

Bribery - occurs when someone gives or takes a bribe.

Larceny - involves taking someone's property without paying for or returning it.

Extortion - also known as blackmail.

Fraud - this often includes but is not limited to health care fraud and tax fraud.

Price Fixing - an agreement between two parties to set prices for a certain product, thereby violating free market operations.

Racketeering - the extortion of money by force or a pattern of criminal activity committed to further the interests of a criminal syndicate.

Computer Fraud - using a computer to commit a crime.

Obstruction of Justice - interfering with the criminal process by impeding an investigation.

Perjury - lying while under oath in a judicial proceeding.

Securities and Commodities Law Violations

Environmental Law Violations

White collar crimes can be prosecuted at the state or federal level, depending on whether a state or federal law was broken. If convicted, these crimes usually result in jail time, large fines, and restitution to the victims of the crime. For people who have been victimized by white collar crime, hiring a criminal attorney is often helpful when attempting to recover monies lost.

Do Not Be A Victim: High Tech Fraud Crimes To Watch Out For

Having a crime perpetrated against you is always a possibility, but it has never been so easy to do in the past than it is today. It seems that fraud crimes will always outdistance the deterrents put in place to stop them, but with the ever-increasing reliance of the world upon the Internet, these acts have been multiplying at an alarming rate. Thousands of people fall victim to scams and identity theft every single day, and so this does not happen to you, we will outline the most prevalent types of cyber crimes happening, and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of them.

Common Types of Electronic Fraud Crimes

Identity Theft: Identity fraud is one of the most prevalent, and most sinister of all the cyber crimes occurring today. Every piece of information you put out on the Internet can be linked together to create a cyber identity for you, and if thieves gain access to enough of those pieces, they can use that information in a lot of ways, most of which can cause a financial crisis for you. It can ruin your credit rating, drain your bank accounts and leave you owing money you never even got to spend.

Sadly, because electronic activity can be easy to trace if the thieves are sloppy in their computer practices, some of them will go the extra mile, and do things the old fashioned way, like going through your garbage, or stealing your mail. Always monitor your mail delivery closely, and if you go away on vacation, be sure to stop the delivery. When you want to discard paid bills and other sensitive documents that could give someone your bank account information or your social security number, shred before discarding it.

Phishing: Phishing is the practice of fraud being committed through the use of fraudulent emails. They will come to your inbox on a daily basis, and they will be phrased in one of two ways: verifying secure information or announcing that you have money owed to you. The first type looks and reads, at first glance, like an official document from your bank, your credit card companies, your insurance company, or a government office. Some of these are quite sophisticated, right down to the company logo. One important thing to remember about this type of fraud is that legitimate companies that traffic in secure, personal information on a daily basis, will never just send an email. They have customer service departments that will call you personally if there is an issue.

These kinds of emails, as well as the ones that announce that you have won a lottery or are entitled to a bequest of some kind, are easily detected if you know what to look for. Read through them carefully, and the first thing you may notice is a lack of a personal address in the letter, your name will probably not even be mentioned. Second, the phrasing will seem off, somehow, especially if they are being sent by someone not completely fluent in English. They will often include a highlighted Internet link, and if you run your cursor across it, without clicking, it will reveal the web domain the thieves are using. More often than not, it will have nothing to do with the company that supposedly sent them. Delete it, and forget it.

Bogus Auctions and Sales: With the advent of the Internet, it is pretty easy to dupe someone out of their money by offering items for sale. Several instances have already arisen on sites like eBay, where a picture of the item was sent to the winner of the auction, but not the item. To avoid this happening to you, never deal with anyone whose reputation you cannot verify through the site itself.

Avoiding Prosecution

Sadly, being a victim of fraud crimes will not always stop at you losing money or having your identity stolen. It can also lead to you being prosecuted because of something the thief did while pretending to be you. Hire an attorney at the first sign that you are a victim of cyber crimes.

Want to learn more about how you can protect yourself from fraud crimes like these? The Law Office of Philip Averbuck has successfully defended victims of fraud for years, and can best advise you on how to proceed, call him today. Also check out our new page on Electronic Fraud Crimes.

Being at the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time With the Wrong "Friends": Accomplice Liability Crimes

All too often, individuals find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong "friends;" as a result, they find themselves charged as a criminal accomplice. The argument that you had no idea of what was going on may not stand - even if it's true - and you may be pulled into a criminal case under the theory of accomplice liability.

What the prosecution has to prove in a case like this is that the accomplice took part in the crime, wanted it to take place, and indicated this intention by his actions or participation. Many times, though, the aider or abettor can be found guilty of a different crime than the primary individual accused of the actual crime. The aider or abettor is charged with a more serious offence or a lesser one, depending on the circumstances and evidence available.

Many times the accused abettor to a crime will argue that even though he was present when a crime took place, he took no part in it, nor did he even know it was going to happen. This can still lead to serious consequences, since proving these assertions requires more than an honest face.

What can be even more shocking is that many individuals are charged as being part of crimes they didn't even witness. In this case, the mere fact of knowing that a crime was going to take place and providing the opportunity for it to happen can be enough to land an individual in serious trouble.

For example, let's say you had a friend who wanted to rob a liquor store and asked if he could borrow your car so he would be able to flee the scene quickly. You complied and gave him your car. You aided him in committing the crime, so you are now an abettor and subject to being charged as party to the offence. It doesn't matter whether or not the crime was discussed in detail beforehand. You knew the crime was going to be committed and you assisted in an indirect way.

Then again, there are examples when being present when an offence occurs will not get you in trouble, provided you had no knowledge that the crime was about to take place. For example, let's say an individual offered to drive you home from a party. You accepted. However, you did not know the vehicle with which he was taking you home was stolen. On your journey home, the driver was pulled over and charged with the offence. If there are no facts proving that you knew the car was stolen, you will not be convicted. It is not enough to find you guilty just because you happened to be in a stolen vehicle.

The moral of this story: watch the company you keep - don't get involved if something seems suspicious, because your indirect actions could still land you behind bars.

Michael Waddington is an expert court martial attorney defending military personnel worldwide. He defends all levels of court martial cases. He is a partner in the Augusta, Georgia, law firm of Gonzalez & Waddington. His worldwide practice focuses on military criminal court martial cases. http://www.ucmjdefense.com

5 Tips for Writing Authentic Crime and Legal Fiction

Writing about a highly technical topic, like crime or law, can be intimidating. In the world of criminal law, there are innumerable rules, practices and procedures. Criminal lawyers speak their own language. To write a good crime or legal story, a writer needs to have credibility.

Credibility comes from working within the rules of criminal law and speaking the criminal law language. But you don't have to be a cop or lawyer to write about crime or criminal law with authenticity. Here are some tips to get started:

1. Brainstorm: As in any genre, a good story with interesting characters and plot twists must be the starting point. Physically write out brainstorming ideas without regard to order, quality or completeness. Just start writing, and let the ideas flow.

2. Get Inspired: Inspiration often comes from outside sources, often unexpectedly. Read great books, and watch great movies, especially crime and legal drama. Read about crime in the news. Follow interesting trials. Watch true crime stories on television and read true crime books. You never know when some small tidbit will spark a story in you.

3. Outline: Everyone has their own methods of and opinions about outlining. Whether organized by chapter, act, scene, character or plot point, outlining is a critical tool to organize a story. The more complex the story, the more important an outline can be. Outlining can be especially important in a crime novel or legal drama because your story needs to fit within the rules of the criminal law world.

For example, if you want to have a piece of exculpatory evidence discovered at the end of act two, you will have to know what stage of the legal proceedings the case is in to help determine how the evidence could realistically come to light.

4. Educate Yourself: Read up about real criminal law on the internet and in books. Look for information specifically targeted to the non-lawyer. Watch real trials when they are televised. Watch true crime shows. Although they often cut out a lot of detail, especially the procedural stuff, they usually get things right. Read news stories and true crime books. The same warning goes for these sources: they are usually accurate but often leave out details you might want to know.

Do not rely on talking head lawyer commentators on television. They usually speak off the tops of their heads and often get things wrong. They also often have an agenda that they are pushing and speak of things from that point-of-view. Finally, do not rely on other criminal law fiction. Crime fiction in television, movies and books are often completely, eye-rollingly off the mark.

5. Consult an Expert: When in doubt, ask a question. As you brainstorm, outline and draft, keep notes of questions that come up. Consulting an expert, usually a criminal lawyer, can be costly, so try to know what you want guidance on before you contact someone. Also, be sure to speak to someone who is able to explain things simply and clearly, and who is willing to admit when they do not know something.

Following these tips will give a writer confidence to create within the world of criminal law and to begin writing crime and legal stories with authenticity.

By: Blythe J. Leszkay CriminalLawConsulting@gmail.com
Blythe is an experienced and successful criminal attorney and expert consultant with Criminal Law Consulting. She consults with and educates writers and filmmakers about criminal law issues in their projects. She provides simple criminal law information at http://www.CriminalLawConsulting.com.

Crime and Unemployment - How to Avoid Being a Victim

A growing statistic we hear little about in the mainstream media is that of rising crime rates as they relate to unemployment. As unemployment rates rise across the US, so does crime, as many formerly law abiding citizens turn to both property crime and white collar crime to feed their families.

Over the past two years as the economy took a steep downturn, crime, especially property crimes, have skyrocketed. One doesn't have to look far to find a victim of recent property crime, their numbers are increasing.

The most common type of crime is car break-in. It seems petty, but aside from what was taken, now the owner must deal with the cost of repairs such as broken windows and interior parts, these as well as lost car batteries and even tires. You may have noticed more cars driving around with plastic and taped over windows, this, usually being a result of thieves who broke in trying to make a fast buck.

There seem to be no safe neighborhoods from this sort of crime as many of the perpetrators were formerly law abiding citizens; a sad commentary on our times.  This new breed of criminal is more likely to succeed at getting away with it as many are educated, intelligent and skilled but down on their luck in a serious way. In desperation they appear better able to plan a crime and carry it out without being caught; bad news for the rest of us.

What are some things we can do to reduce the chance that we will fall victim to this sort of violation? One thing, and probably the most important, is to practice awareness of your surroundings. For instance, pay attention to who is around you and where you park,especially at night. When you go to the grocery store, or any other type of store, choose one with security cameras outside. They are easy to spot; look up on the lot's light poles and building parameters for the cameras pointed at a downward angle. The presence of these not only provides more safety for your car but for yourself as well. If they are not present where you park at work, approach your employer and ask to have some installed. You can even take up an employee collection to supplement the purchase and let the employer know you are serious. Often the cost of such a system is far less than the damage done to a vehicle during a break-in and the cost of replacing stolen items.

The same approach can be taken for the home; check your locks to make sure they are working properly and are not the type that can easily be picked. A dead bolt type with door frame reinforcing plate is your best bet.

Inexpensive surveillance systems can be added where the system dials a preset series of phone numbers such as police, security company and even your cell phone to alert you of a break-in. Windows in the home should be checked on a regular basis to make sure they are locked and have not been tampered with. In the home it is a good idea to place a can of pepper spray or even a stun gun in strategic locations in case you do meet an intruder in your home.

Cars should have alarm systems installed, especially in this economic climate. There are many new systems available but the best is one that calls or beeps you if your car is being tampered with. These systems can cost upward of $400. But can save you from loss and repair bills. For personal protection in the car you can carry a key-ring pepper spray or an inexpensive personal alarm which when activated sets off an ear piercing screech that can interrupt an attack and draw attention.

In this climate of increasing social breakdown it pays to be more vigilant and attentive to your surroundings, it could save your hard earned belongings or even save your life.

Vern Wichers is the founder of http://www.stungunstopepperspray.com/ a Bison River LLC company, as well as a level 3 practitioner and assistant instructor of Commando Krav Maga in the state of Florida.

Stunguns To Pepperspray is a retail provider of personal security products and also offers advice and training in the use of specific products on the site. Vern also offers a series of ongoing blog articles and tips at http://www.stungunstopepperspray.com/news-blog concerning self defense and personal security.

Careers in Crime Scene Investigation

There are a few facts you need to be aware of if you are interested in one of the many crime scene investigator jobs currently available across the United States. Crime scene investigation has become popular due to the large amount of programs featuring it on television. Forensic science is not a field that everyone is interested in because of how exciting it looks on television, however. It is also a very demanding career that offers many benefits.

What are the requirements to become a crime scene investigator?

A college degree is not required to become an investigator, but it will help in being considered for this kind of career. Other skills are required even if you have a formal education like computer skills, drafting, and photography. People involved in forensic science gather evidence and are able to process it using these skills. Some people interested in this type of investigation work ride with police officers or emergency medical technicians to get a better look at how it works.

Why Crime Scene Investigation?

People with interests in science, evidence gathering, or medicine should consider crime investigation as a career choice as each of these aspects are a part of it. Investigators also have the opportunity to learn about other related careers such as law enforcement, medical staff and labs.

An Investigator's primary task is to gather evidence and process a crime scene. Investigators also work in laboratories and analyze the evidence. They must possess great organizational skills, an eye for detail, and analytical skills for solving problems. Investigating a crime scene requires teamwork, excellent communication skills, and writing skills. This is not a good career choice for people who prefer to work alone.

Tips to Become an Investigator:

The first step is to learn about crime scene investigation. Read work summaries of jobs listed to learn what responsibilities the investigator will have and what the least requirements for becoming employed are.

Contacting several agencies within your area and asking how often they offer openings is the next step.

Prepare for the application process. Some positions require a bachelor's degree while others only require a high school diploma. The majority of crime lab careers require a degree in a science such as biology or chemistry. If your desired position requires formal training, contact your local college to learn what training is available.

Last, create a resume and apply. Attach the resume to your application even if the agency doesn't require one. Resumes are helpful in obtaining an interview and maybe even a job.

Crime scene investigation is not like what it's portrayed in television and movies. However, it is an exciting and highly demanding career with countless opportunities for individuals interested in science and medicine and motivated enough to reach them.

Once education and training is completed, there are a wide variety of rewarding Crime Scene Investigator Jobs available to those seeking them.

[http://crimesceneinvestigatorjobs.org]

Incest Crime Defense

Society judges sex crime offenders harshly, and this is especially true for crimes related to incest. An incest crime is defined as having sexual relations with blood relatives or people that live in the same residence. Conviction will cause an individual to have difficulty finding a place to live. Many apartment complexes have strict restrictions on keeping sex offenders out of their neighborhoods. Even if an individual is wrongly accused and convicted of a crime, he or she may face serious judgment and persecution from others around him or her. Those that find out about the conviction may break all contact with the individual, even in the event that this person has been a close friend in the past.

Therefore accusations of sex crimes should be defended with aggression. Remember, a sex crimes charge is not the same as a conviction, and there are many ways that an experienced attorney can fight to have your name cleared of the charges you face. Since sex crimes are not treated lightly in the court, sentences will be extreme if you are convicted, so it is important to secure the help of an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

The financial toll that a conviction of incest can include is thousands of dollars in fines that will plague an individual with years of payments. Jail time is also a risk. In some states, offenders, especially multiple offenders, can be assigned up to 30 years in prison.

There are two ways incest defense attorneys can help their clients. If their client is innocent of the crime, they may be able to expose false accusations and prevent all punishments. The second way to help their client is to prove that they do not deserve the highest degree of punishment. Often times an individual that expresses interest in rehabilitation and shows remorse can avoid penalties that will last the rest of his or her life.

For more information regarding defense against charges of incest, visit the website of the Milwaukee sex crimes defense attorneys at Kohler & Hart, LLP.

James Witherspoon

White Collar Crimes - What You Need to Know

White collar crime is a broad legal term that encompasses various types of criminal offenses that are non-violent in nature, and usually involve fraud and illegal business or financial transactions. Bank fraud, credit card fraud, social security fraud, identity theft, money laundering, counterfeiting, insider trading, identity theft and forgery are examples of white collar crimes. These crimes are prosecuted seriously by federal and state attorneys.

By way of background, Edwin Sutherland, a notable sociologist, first coined the term, "white collar crime" in 1939 when he argued that there must be significant differences between crimes like burglary, robbery and murder, which he categorized as blue collar crimes and the ones he categorized as white collar ones, such as fraud. Sutherland went further saying that white collar crimes are more injurious to the society than their blue collar counterparts, and that white collar offenders are treated with more lenience.

The legal term was originally intended to categorize offenders, but it has been used since then to include a wide range of nonviolent offenses. Today the Department of Justice defines white collar crime as "offenses of non violent illegal activities which primarily entail traditional ideas of deception, manipulation, deceit, subterfuge and breach of trust."

One of the most common types of crimes committed by white collar workers is embezzlement. This type of offense takes place when a person dishonestly handles money that is entrusted to his or her care. For instance, when an employee takes money from a corporate account, and spends the money for his or her personal gain.

Another type that is often associated with this form of crime is fraud. The most common types of fraud today include internet fraud, credit card fraud, commercial fraud, phone or telemarketing fraud, mail fraud, insurance fraud and healthcare fraud.

If you are notified that you are under investigation of a white collar crime, it is wise if that you hire an attorney right away. Remember that you are not obligated to speak with law enforcement officers at all about the alleged offense and it is wise that you do not do so before consulting with a criminal defense attorney. All too often those under investigation for white collar crimes mistakenly believe they can talk their way out of an arrest.

Just bear the things I discussed in this article about this particular type of crime so that you won't commit another mistake when you are charged with it.

Disclaimer: Any information contained in this article should not be construed as legal advice.

Tim Nies' unique and valuable experience in defense litigation puts him in an excellent position to take on the most complex civil and criminal cases. If you are looking for a Stuart FL criminal defense attorney, you can visit The Law Offices of Van Riper and Nies and talk to a Stuart Florida criminal defense lawyer today!

The Best Way to Keep Your Children From the Threat of Cyber Crime

In this article, you will learn the best way to keep your children from the threat of cyber crime. You'll also discover about protecting your children from cyber crime. The internet can be regarded as a two sided blade. It can be used for positive things, but on the other side, the internet could cause users to get caught by cyber crime. Crime on the internet is increasingly dangerous if it threatens the children. Because they are still too young to monitor suspicious things around them. So it is your duty as a parent to always keep an eye on the children. Let's begin by discussing what you should do to keep children from the threat of cyber crime.

How to Keep Children From The Threat Of Cyber Crime:

* Encourage children and their friends to look after each other - this way will drastically reduce the possibility that they were used as targets.

* Put the family computer with internet connection and toys in the middle of the house to facilitate the supervision of children online activities.

* Ask children what they were doing when you are online, and try to get a detailed answer. Ask them to give 'tour online' on the sites they visit frequently, and other online activities in which they participate.

* Make in-depth discussion about cyber crime with older children, who may access the internet at different places, including outside the home, where they are not always supervised.

* Make sure children feel comfortable reporting crimes they experience to you, promise you will report any incidents, if they want - and do it. For example, the parents approached the crime perpetrators, teachers, or any other person who has the potential to make things worse. Think about the best strategy to train your child.

* Give a clear picture of the children, about the things they will face when the crime's involvement in the virtual world with other people.

To prevent your children from becoming a victim of cyber crime keep in mind these 5 basic tips, be vigilant and conscious of the information you and your children share through the intranet connection.

Tanto has been an enthusiast of internet security for over 10 years. You can check out his new website at http://firmingbodylotion.org and also more information on Firming Body Lotion

Breaking the Crime Triangle

When hearing the words, Crime Triangle, what comes to your mind? Yakuza? Russian Mafia? Italian Mafia? Chicago Mafia? LA Street Gangs? Bermuda Triangle? Cape Fear? All of these groups and areas tend to conjure up images of violent criminals and sustainable crime.

However, the crime triangle is something much more benign. It is an understanding and awareness of how crime happens. By understanding the process, you, as an individual, can significantly decrease your chances of becoming a potential victim.

Contrary to popular belief, the boogeyman doesn't just jump out of the bushes to attack you. Crime is a process and often follows a pattern.

Let's take a journey back to middle school and fire awareness training. We were all trained that fire cannot happen unless three things are present: an ignition source, fuel and oxygen. If you remove any one of these components, you remove the threat of fire. This was known as the Fire Triangle.

The same thing applies to crime. Three elements must be present in order for crime to be successful: desire, target and opportunity. These comprise the Crime Triangle. Fortunately, you have control of two out of the three elements. Let's take a look at each of the individual elements.

The first element is desire. That is the criminal's drive and motivation. There is nothing you can realistically do to curtail or eliminate that desire. Once he has the desire, he is looking for a target and an opportunity. This is where you come in.

Can you guess who the potential target may be? A target is anyone who appears to be an easy victim. A target appears not to be aware of their surroundings and appears easy to overtake or overpower. An easy target, by definition, will not put up any resistance.

So what can you do? You can "harden" the target by becoming more aware of your surroundings. By being aware of your body language: eyes up, shoulders back, arms swinging, walking confidently and scanning the area; you send a signal to any would be predator that you are not easy prey. By taking a self defense course, you further harden the target by gaining the skill set to fight back if you are confronted.

The next element is opportunity. You control this by paying attention to your environment. Are you in a bad area of town? Are you walking in an unlit area? Are you in a secluded area? Are you letting strangers in too close to ask questions - not defining personal boundaries? Limiting opportunities is about being aware of your environment and your intuition to remove yourself from a questionable environment once you sense danger.

We can take control of our own personal safety by understanding how crime happens and by educating ourselves to become tougher targets. In doing so, we begin breaking the Crime Triangle.

Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO of Women's Self-Defense Institute, a national leader in educating and training women about their self-defense and personal security options.

An Explanation of Hate Crimes

Crimes of this nature are defined as criminal acts against an individual or a group of people because of their perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability. People cannot help who they are or where they were born; hate crimes target individuals for who they are, what group they are a member of, or the color of their skin.

Although freedom of speech is protected under the United States Constitution and is not a crime of hate in itself, speech that carries a credible threat of violence against a person or a group named above is considered criminal in California.

According Hate Crime Statistics for 2010 released by the FBI, of the 6,624 hate crime incidents, 47.3% were racially motivated, while 20% were religiously motivated, 19.3% related to sexual orientation and 12.8% involved ethnicity and nation of origin bias.

What types of behaviors are categorized as a crime? For example, using force or threats of force to induce bodily injury, intimidate or interrupt another person from exercising their constitutional rights would be a hate crime.

Another example would be damaging another person's property in order to intimidate or interfere with their ability to exercise their constitutional rights. A good example of this would be burning a cross on a Buddhist church's property or painting a swastika on a Jewish temple. Desecrating a religious symbol or displaying a threatening sign on someone else's property with the intent to terrorize them is also a hate crime in California, along with the rest of the country.

Any kind of activity that vandalizes a church, synagogue, mosque or other house of worship with the intent to terrorize its parishioners is a hate crime.

The state of California separates hate crimes into misdemeanors or felonies depending on the facts surrounding the case. For instance, disorderly conduct at a place of worship where people are assembled is prosecuted as a misdemeanor, whereas vandalizing a house of worship based on religious bias can be prosecuted as a felony.

When a victim was intentionally killed because of their race, color, religion, nationality, or country of origin, then the death penalty or life without the possibility of parole might be imposed. Furthermore, the suspect may be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole if the victim was killed because of their sexual orientation, gender or disability. When the criminal offense was not committed because of a bias, the person can still nonetheless be criminally prosecuted for any of the above crimes.

If you are facing hate crime charges, you will need to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney who can further explain hate crimes and their corresponding penalties. Since you could be facing anywhere from light penalties in a misdemeanor charge to far more serious penalties if you are convicted of a felony, proper legal representation is essential. Without a criminal lawyer, you are essentially putting your entire future in jeopardy. It is important that you protect your legal rights, your freedom, and your future by contacting a criminal defense lawyer in your area right as soon as possible.

Martinian & Associates is an experienced criminal defense firm conveniently located in Los Angeles, California. Their legal team has succeeded in exonerating clients and getting their charges reduced a number of times over. They would like to help you with your charges by utilizing their negotiation and litigation skills to achieve a better outcome in the case against you. You cannot give up hope when you are under investigation or arrest, there's no telling what the right attorney can do to improve your situation. Don't hesitate to contact a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney from their firm at (888) 847-9821 today.

Do Campus Crime Statistics Make You Safer?

Since the early-1990s the Federal government, through the US Department of Education, requires more than 6000 colleges and universities to publish an annual report disclosing their campus security policies and three years of selected crime statistics related to that college or university.

US Department of Education collects this data and makes it available on web sites and in published reports. You can see the data for any particular institution that is required to report. You can sort the data by the size of institutional enrollment, or you can check institutions by states, or by the type of instructional programs they offer.

This is an impressive collection of data but it begs the question of whether or not it actually means anything. It's difficult or impossible to prove a negative but you have to wonder if the millions of man-hours that have been spent in collecting, compiling, and reporting this data has made one college student, anywhere, safer.

Crimes occur in big cities, small cities, and towns and villages everywhere across the globe. It should not surprise anybody to learn then that crimes also occur on college campuses in big cities, small cities, and towns and villages across the globe. As you might expect the statistics reveal that the campuses with the highest crime rates are located in big cities adjacent to areas with the highest crime rates. A small size art oriented college located in Boston always ends up near the top of the "Crimes on Campus" list. A little investigation reveals, however, that the majority of those reported crimes occur in and around a notorious subway station in a high crime area immediately adjacent to campus.

Other writers who have commented on the effectiveness of this data for keeping students safe have pointed out that some schools, particularly some located in major metropolitan areas, have been fined one or more times by the US Department of Education for failing to accurately report on campus crime. The bottom line is that if you are concerned about safety on campus, either for a school which you are thinking of attending, or a school that you currently attend, forget the statistics, do your own investigation, and use your own common sense.

Alcohol and violence go hand-in-hand on college campuses. The Harvard School of Public Health reports that 77% of students who hang around regularly with a binge drinker will either be a victim of or the perpetrator of an assault or a DUI. The old birds of a feather maxim still applies.

Keep your dorm room or your apartment door locked when you are out and when you are inside. Next to bicycle theft burglary seems to be the most common campus crime.

The same rules that apply to urban streets apply to urban college campuses and also to the pastoral rural college campuses. Walk in lighted areas and in a group whenever and wherever you can. Always be aware of your surroundings.

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The Basic Correlation Between Gender and Crime

The relationship between gender and crime are intense, persistent, and contradictory. Both women and men commit and are victims of crimes, but their perspectives, understandings, and interpretations of the crime are likely to be different. As far as observation has been made, it has been proven that both men and women differ in their crime rates, patterns, and in their experiences of discrimination. Also, women are statistically less likely to commit crime than men.

Crime is more easily identifiable as a male characteristic in this society rather than female characteristic because of historical social conventions. Men have been generally the people who go out for work, have drinking habits. Generally, men used to socialize more than women in the past which created an opportunity for men to experience varied and traumatic types of strains. These strains led men to indulge in crime.

On the other hand, women have a more practical and sensible approach to any criminal activity; this is because they are more careful in exposing themselves to persuasion for crimes such as theft, fraud and so on. Another reason is that the females are expected to exhibit soft characteristics, tend to look beautiful, and are considered as the connecting link in the social circle.

Women who are aggressive or violent are more prone to be negatively labeled in the society. The major exclusion to this gender pattern is for prostitution. It is a well established fact that females have lower arrest rates when compared to men except for prostitution.

Both female criminals as well as male criminals, tend to come from surroundings marked by poverty, discrimination, poor schooling and so on as a common factor. But distinctively, male performers may be more self-centered in their approach to crimes and committing offences which directly benefit them or gives them an instantaneous sense of gain. Women who commit crime tend to have a history of being exposed to physical torture or pain, psychologically trauma or sexually abuse either in their childhood or in their adult life.

There are many things such as biology, psychology, economic, education and society which will have a major impact on each and every individual's activities and their understanding of what is acceptable. So, it is a must to look at the issue of correlation between gender and crime from a variety of angles.

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Notable Crime Books of 2011

FAVORITE BOOK

The final exit of a beloved sleuth is the focal point of my choice: THE TROUBLED MAN (Knopf, $26.95). Henning Mankell makes it clear that his brilliant if chronically depressed Swedish detective, Kurt Wallander, has solved his last case. In the course of investigating a political conspiracy that dates back to the cold war, Wallander comes to realize “how little he actually knew about the world he had lived in” and how inadequate his efforts to fix that broken world have proved. Although it accounts for his perpetual mood of despair, that insight also makes him a hero for this age of anxiety.

FAVORITE NEW SLEUTH

George Pelecanos’s new protagonist, Spero Lucas, is not only younger and friskier than most private eyes, he’s also untainted by the cynicism that goes with the profession. Making his first appearance in THE CUT (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown, $25.99), Lucas brings his lusty appetites and taste for danger to a vivid narrative about gang wars in Washington, D.C. The big question: Can Pelecanos keep his young hero from flaming out?

FAVORITE DEBUT NOVEL / FAVORITE ACTION THRILLER

Sebastian Rotella scores twice for TRIPLE CROSSING (Mulholland/Little, Brown, $24.99), which begins on the San Diego-Tijuana border and sends good guys from both sides of the fence to combat drug smugglers and terrorists in the badlands of South America.

FAVORITE COZY

That would beA TRICK OF THE LIGHT (Minotaur, $25.99), Louise Penny’s mystery starring Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and set in the enchanting village of Three Pines.

FAVORITE REGIONAL MYSTERY

In SHOCK WAVE (Putnam, $27.95), John Sandford drags Virgil Flowers away from an all-girls volleyball tournament and dispatches him to Butternut Falls, where a bomber is intent on keeping out a big-box store.

FAVORITE SUSPENSE NOVEL

Cara Hoffman takes on rural poverty, domestic abuse and teenage violence in her first novel, SO MUCH PRETTY (Simon & Schuster, $25), which watches a family of urbanites come to grief in upstate New York. Runner-up is another novel on the same theme: BENT ROAD (Dutton, $25.95), in which Lori Roy observes the breakdown of a family that has moved to Kansas to escape racial tensions in 1960s Detroit.

FAVORITE MYSTERY WITH A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE

A tie between the End of the WASP SEASON (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown, $25.99), by Denise Mina, and THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE (Soho, $24), by the Danish authors Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis. Mina’s gritty Glasgow procedural features a female cop who takes pity on a 15-year-old killer because she’s witnessed the neglect that can produce such damaged children. The criminal mistreatment of children is also the focus of the Danish thriller, which follows the efforts of a nurse to identify the 3-year-old boy she rescues at the Copenhagen train station.

FAVORITE NOIR

Antiheroes don’t get much darker than the protagonist of James Sallis’s moody existential mystery,THE KILLER IS DYING (Walker, $24), a hit man who wants to make one last clean kill before he dies. But I have to go with the rogue Scott Phillips introduces in THE ADJUSTMENT (Counterpoint, $25). This prince of a fellow made a killing pimping and working the black market as an Army quartermaster in Rome during World War II. But peacetime life in Wichita is so dull it takes all his ingenuity to come up with a new way to make a dishonest living.

FAVORITE SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY

Michael Koryta easily takes top honors for two eerie novels, THE CYPRESS HOUSE (Little, Brown, $24.99), a 1930s gangster story with spooky undertones, and THE RIDGE (Little, Brown, $24.99) , a ghost story set in an old mining region of Kentucky.

FAVORITE HISTORICAL MYSTERY

If the category were narrowed to World War II-era novels, it would be a tossup between FIELD GRAY (Marian Wood/Putnam, $26.95), the darkest of Philip Kerr’s Berlin stories, and David Downing’s POTSDAM STATION (Soho, $25), with its horrific scenes of Berlin falling to the Red Army. But in an open field, top honors go to C. J. Sansom for HEARTSTONE (Viking, $27.95), a Tudor mystery that captures the chaotic state of England in the aftermath of Henry VIII’s ill-conceived invasion of France.

FAVORITE PERFORMANCE BY AN OLD PRO

That’s a tough one in a year that saw top-drawer work from Michael Connelly in THE FIFTH WITNESS (Little, Brown, $27.99), James Lee Burke in FEAST DAY OF FOOLS (Simon & Schuster, $26.99) and Thomas Perry in THE INFORMANT (Otto Penzler/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27). Sue Grafton earns special mention for keeping Kinsey Millhone engaged and endearing through her 22nd alphabet mystery, V IS FOR VENGEANCE (Marian Wood/Putnam, $27.95). But for sentimental reasons, I’m going with Lawrence Block’s nostalgic novel, A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF (Mulholland/Little, Brown, $25.99), set in New York in the 1970s, when Matt Scudder was still a working cop and crime was still “the leading occupation” in his Hell’s Kitchen ­neighborhood.

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