On behalf of Law Office of Steven Haney posted in Illinois Traffic Laws on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Once thought of as a device to improve safety on the roads, red light cameras are losing favor in many states and cities across the U.S., including some suburbs in the Chicago area. While nine states and a dozen cities around the U.S. have banned red light cameras, the city of Chicago itself has not yet joined this trend. Installed to improve safety byContinue reading →
On behalf of Law Office of Steven Haney posted in Sexual Assault on Thursday, October 20, 2011 With another school year in full swing in colleges throughout the nation, students are not only a month deep into their studies, but many are also immersed in the “college experience” – which often includes Saturday football games and the occasional “kegger.” Like it or not, ample amounts of alcohol are consumed on most college campuses in the U.S. In addition to the obvious healthContinue reading →
Young people often strive to appear older than they really are. In many cases it is difficult to judge how old a young person is based solely on how he or she dresses and acts – which is especially treacherous given that a mistake about a person’s age can lead to criminal charges, such as when a person faces charges of statutory rape. However, Illinois law does recognize that people may honestly be mistaken about a young person’s age, andContinue reading →
On behalf of Law Office of Steven Haney posted in Drug Possession on Thursday, September 22, 2011 A recent vote by the Cook County Board has expanded marijuana decriminalization to everywhere in Cook County that the Sheriff’s police patrol. Basically, the law states that anyone arrested for possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana will be simply issued a ticket instead of arrested. Update to Past Law There was already a law in place that applied to anyone in possession of 10Continue reading →
On behalf of Law Office of Steven Haney posted in Child Pornagraphy on Friday, September 16, 2011 Before 2011, Illinois minors photographing themselves even semi-nude and sending the picture by email, text or other electronic medium (referred to as “sexting”) could face child pornography charges, serve jail time and be forced to register as a sex offender. Thankfully, Illinois law recently changed and sexting minors under 17 years of age will be reprimanded without lifelong and life-shattering consequences. Under Illinois law, photographing orContinue reading →
By Steve Haney posted in In the News on Saturday, August 6, 2011 A recent Illinois Supreme Court opinion released on 4/21/11 in the People of the State of Illinois vs. Aaron Martin has raised the stakes significantly for all who use marijuana, or other drug, on an even casual, infrequent basis. Aaron Martin was involved in a car accident that caused the death of two people. He was required to provide a urine sample, which showed trace amounts of methamphetamine. There was noContinue reading →
By Steve Haney posted in TASC Probation on Sunday, July 31, 2011 TASC probation is a sentencing option for eligible defendant’s. It has several benefits. Certain criminal offenses, such as residential burglary, are mandatory prison offenses. However, TASC allows for a unique exception to such a harsh sentence. It allows for any required prison sentence to be deferred and avoided upon successul completion of the probation. Additionally, successful completion of the probation will allow for the conviction that was of record duringContinue reading →
By Steve Haney posted in Felonies on Saturday, July 30, 2011 A felony is any crime that carries a potential sentence to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The purpose of this post is to discuss the process of a felony case as it moves through the Will County, Illinois court system. Every Will County felony case begins with an arrest. If the arrest is based on an arrest warrant, the amount of bail needed to post for release has already been set. If theContinue reading →
By Steve Haney posted in Court Supervision on Sunday, July 24, 2011 Court supervision is a sentencing option available for the majority of misdemeanor crimes committed in Illinois. Short of beating the case outright, court supervision is the next best alternative. It is considered a deferred dismissal of the charge. No conviction enters during the period of supervision and upon its successful completion, the case is finalized as a dismissal. Therefore, a criminal conviction is avoided. Avoiding a conviction is always anContinue reading →
By Steve Haney posted in Illinois Impact Incarceration – “Boot Camp” on Saturday, July 23, 2011 The Illinois impact incarceration program, more commonly referred to as “boot camp”, is a program within the Illinois Department of Corrections that allows eligible offenders sentenced to prison the opportunity to significantly reduce their sentence. It is referred to as boot camp because the program is run like a military stye boot camp. Most offenders entering the program are not able to get felony probation forContinue reading →