Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

Lewd/Lascivious Conduct

While the crime of lewd and/or lascivious conduct is classified as a misdemeanor and is subsequently a somewhat minor charge, a conviction still generally results in a criminal record and the possibility of lifelong registration as a sex offender. For this reason, like all sex crime charges, it must be taken extremely seriously. Prosecutors will generally argue that the accused person committed certain...

California’s Early Prison Release

Effective Monday, January 25, 2010, the new law providing early release for non-violent criminals will allow approximately 6,500 inmates to be set free. Under the new law, which was signed into effect last fall, only those prisoners who have completed educational and vocational programs, and who have been selected as not likely to commit another crime, will be released. The Federal Court had ordered...

California’s Crime Rate is Down

In a society such as ours where freedom is valued above all else, it is inevitable that some people make bad choices and commit crimes. For this, we obviously have a judicial system in place to punish criminals. In California, we have a Three Strikes Law that is helping to put criminals in jail and keep them there. Despite the problem of overcrowded prisons in our state, fewer career criminals are...

Marijuana In The News

When we think about marijuana’s negative connotations, we envision prison cells for drug use, selling marijuana, growing the drug, and maybe even selling or forging prescriptions for it. There rarely come visions of wildfire when we mention the phrase “marijuana problems,” but this can actually be a major concern in the state of California. Case in point: Just this year people have...

Grand Theft Auto in Decline in CA

According to Reuters, September 24, 2009, the rate of auto theft incidences in California is decreasing. This is great news for the victims who have gone through the inconvenience and expense of having their car stolen. One of the programs that has been developed to combat auto theft is VIN etching. The VIN, Vehicle Identification Number, which every automobile manufactured has, is unique for every...

Immigration Laws

These days, America truly is a melting pot for individuals from every nation in the world. However, not all “citizens” of the United States are legal, and immigration laws have come into question on many local, state, and federal fronts in the last few years to combat illegal immigration, especially from Mexico and Cuba. Those who enter the country illegally do so for a variety of reasons....

Arson In California

Arson is very serious Arson is a very serious crime, and can even carry the death penalty in the state of California under certain circumstances. These include, but are not limited to: When the arson causes death to one or more individuals, including emergency personnel Under California’s Three Strikes Law, when there are mitigating factors such as malice aforethought In June of this year,...

Violent Crimes

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...

Grand Theft Shoplifting

In California, shoplifting is a frequent offense. Despite the fact that it’s a risky endeavor, people still try to get away with stealing if they can. Sometimes, young people are the victims of peer pressure and will steal something in order to fit in with their “friends.” Other times, people are desperate and feel that they need to steal in order to survive.  Shoplifting can also be a...