Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

There are three major types of violent crimes in California: Homicide, Robbery, and Assault. Homicide is, of course, murder of another human being. First or Second degree murder convictions result in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Robbery is theft combined with physical force. Assault is when one person threatens to harm or does physical harm to another person. Depending on the severity of the crime, if a weapon was used during the crime, and depending on how many prior felonies there are, a conviction for one of these crimes could result in life imprisonment.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, rates of these crimes have gone down significantly from 1992 until 2007. This could be partly due to California’s very strict “Three Strikes” law adopted in 1994. According to this law, three convictions, two of which must be considered a violent crime, result in mandatory long-term jail time. However, overpopulation of California’s prisons has people thinking twice about the effectiveness of this law. Three federal judges have ordered California to release 40,000 inmates by mid-September. They believe that the overcrowded conditions that many prisoners are forced to live in violates their constitutional rights. The state Assembly is currently working on a bill that would define which prisoners would be released and which would not. They are not inclined to let anyone convicted of a violent crime re-enter society before their sentence has been concluded.

That being said, there is no doubt that persons convicted of violent crimes must be held accountable for their actions. If you have been arrested for a violent crime, it is absolutely essential that you get proper representation so that your rights are protected. The experienced lawyers at Rizio and Nelson can help. They are there to meet your needs twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, so schedule your free initial consultation today.