Criminal Law
| Plea Agreements Generally |
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| When a defendant has been charged with a crime, it is his decision whether to enter a guilty or not guilty plea to the offense. Often times, a defendant enters a guilty plea based upon a plea agreement. Many prosecutors offer defendants plea agreements or bargains in order to ascertain a guilty plea from the defendant. More... |
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| NECESSITY AS A DEFENSE |
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| A necessity may be claimed as a defense when a defendant reasonably believed that his or her criminal act was immediately necessary to avoid imminent harm. The reasonableness of the defendant's act and the harm that was sought to be avoided by the defendant are the essential elements of the defense. The defendant must show that the harm that he or she sought to avoid was greater than the harm that was committed by his or her criminal act. In other words, the defendant must show that he or she was attempting to achieve a "greater good." More... |
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| Eyewitness Identification of the Defendant and Defendant's Fifth and Sixth Amendment Rights |
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| There are various methods in which an eyewitness may identify a defendant. Both in-court and out-of-court identifications may be permitted during a criminal trial. More... |
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| PROSTITUTION, PIMPING, & PANDERING |
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| A person commits the offense of prostitution when he or she knowingly offers to engage, agrees to engage, or engages in sexual conduct for money with another person. A person also commits the offense of prostitution when he or she knowingly solicits another person in a public place to engage in sexual conduct for money. More... |
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| SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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| A person commits the offense of sexual assault when he or she intentionally or knowingly and without another person's consent causes the penetration of the anus or the female sexual organ of another person, causes the penetration of the mouth of the other person with a sexual organ, or causes the sexual organ of the other person to contact or to penetrate the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of the person or any other person. More... |
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