Rizio and Nelson California Law Blog

Methamphetamine Statistics

Methamphetamines, also known as “meth” or “crystal meth”, are drugs that are quickly growing in popularity in the state of California. Among the biggest users of this drug are young women, ages 12 to 25. This should not be surprising, since the affects of meth use include increased energy levels, elevated mood, and appetite suppression. Our society has conditioned our young women to believe...

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...

Drug-Related Homicides

According to the Office of the Attorney General of California, the incarceration rates for drug-related crimes have been steadily on the rise. The last year recorded was 2005, which saw 39 drug-related homicides out of every 100,000 people. Alarming as this is, the high was in 1997, with 53.2 drug-related homicides. The rate had gone down to 31.4 in 2002, but began increasing again in the following...

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...

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...

Concealed Weapons Laws

Usually, California law forbids a person from carrying loaded guns on his or her person or in a motor vehicle while in a public place. California Penal Code §12025 clarifies the California laws regarding firearms. A person is guilty of carrying a concealed weapon when he or she: a) Carries a concealed weapon within any motor vehicle under his or her control or direction; b) Carries a concealed weapon...

Drug Possession

In order to prosecute a person for possession of drugs for personal use, the prosecution must prove that the person had knowledge of the presence of the controlled substance, and knowledge that the substance was in fact a controlled substance. There are two types of possession: Actual possession means that a person knowingly has direct physical control over a controlled substance. Constructive possession...