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Drug possession charges in California have gone through some major changes.  Recent California state laws have reclassified possession of many controlled substances to misdemeanors and have decriminalized others altogether. Even though many possession offenses are now considered a misdemeanor instead of a felony, a misdemeanor drug possession conviction can impact your life and opportunities. An…

Up until a few months ago, California was one of only four states that required lifetime sex offender registration for all sex offenders. The state has amassed over 100,000 names on that list, the vast majority of which involve low-level misdemeanor or nonviolent felony convictions. A new law will give most sex offenders a way…

Intentionally concealing a data breach could land company executives or employees in jail for up to five years if a proposed federal law comes to pass. Amid the flurry of high profile data breach hacks of 2017, three U.S. senators introduced the Data Security Breach Notification Act now working its way through the Congressional docket.…

For the readers on your nice list, that armchair criminologist you know, or to challenge your inner investigator during some holiday downtime, turn to one or two of the standout crime novels that came on scene this year. Here’s a shortlist of page-turners for you to investigate: MurderabiliaBy Craig Robertson “In this place you’ll find…

California laws that aim to provide specific protections to vulnerable individuals, such as elder and dependent adults and people with disabilities, carry with them legal requirements for reporting suspected or observed abuse. Just like in cases of suspected child abuse, California law also mandates that certain professional individuals report abuse or domestic violence in which…

Some important new juvenile crime reforms go into effect January 1, 2018 as part of a raft of legislation signed into law by Governor Brown this Fall. The reforms benefit youths and their families who find themselves caught up in California’s juvenile justice system. Among the reforms are provisions that expand the sealing of juvenile…

Financial abuse of the elderly in California includes a broad range of crimes from out-and-out theft of money or property, to improper use of assets; from breaching a fiduciary duty to safeguard assets, to coercion or financial exploitation. Orange County’s population of people 65+ will be nearly 25% of all residents in the next 25…

Both California and federal laws put a broad swath of professionals who interact with adults and children into the category of “mandatory reporters” of child abuse or neglect. Failure to report abuse or neglect, even if only suspected, is a crime. Reporting is the legal duty of the individual, and cannot be handed off to…

You’ve surely seen all the news reporting by now about the massive hack of Equifax that stole identity data of nearly half of all people in the U.S.  Criminals got away with particularly sensitive identifying information – names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and some driver’s license numbers. That kind of information allows someone…

Here you are going about your day and suddenly find yourself inside a crime scene, witness to a crime. That can be as scary as being the victim of the crime. You may not be in control of the events around you, but you can play a powerful role in what happens after the fact.…