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What is a Bail Bond? A bail bond is an agreement that a person will appear on a designated court date or pay a sum of money for not showing up. It is like insurance to the magistrate that if the defendant is let out of prison, they will show up for their court...

If you have seen a cop or lawyer show on TV, you are probably familiar with the Miranda rights. These rights, such as the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer, are all found in the Bill of Rights. They lay the groundwork for police questioning...

Domestic violence is one of the most persistent social ills in Arizona. Nearly one in six women report that an intimate partner, usually a spouse, has injured them in some way. That figure is unacceptably high. As a result, police officers can sometimes be very...

Private property is almost sacred in the United States. 17th century English philosopher John Locke, who greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the other authors of the Declaration of Independence, said that all people have the right to life, liberty, and property....

In terms of both financial and human losses, arson may be the most devastating property crime in Arizona. So, Maricopa County prosecutors are particularly aggressive in many situations, particularly if the losses or potential losses were high and the defendant...

Aside from shoplifting and other theft crimes, vandalism and destruction of property are probably the most commonly-charged property crimes in Maricopa County misdemeanor courts. The high volume of cases, and relative complexity of each case makes it rather common for...

Most people think that embezzlement charges only involve things like intricate Ponzi schemes, complex corporate shenanigans, and/or bank accounts in far-flung foreign countries. All these things could constitute embezzlement, but Section 13-1802 of the Arizona...

The easiest way to avoid the consequences of shoplifting is not to engage in this activity. But if you are reading this post, it is safe to assume that we are past that point. The bad news about shoplifting consequences is that they are severe. Under Arizona law,...

America’s criminal justice system may have its share of problems, but for the most part, it is one of the fairest systems in the world. In some other countries, police officers routinely accost people on the streets who are doing nothing wrong. Officers then arrest...

Thinking about a new job in Arizona where you know they run background checks? Wondering what information shows up on a criminal record background check? A potential employer may choose to run one of several kinds of background checks: criminal, identity verification,...

One of the most important personal rights in the Constitution did not materialize out of nowhere. In the Middle Ages, English judges often administered oaths ex officio “OEO’s”. These oaths required that suspects truthfully answer all questions, even before they knew...

In many states, contempt of court is a narrowly-defined offense that only applies in certain situations. But Arizona’s version of the contempt law is extremely broad. If you boil down the meaning of the contempt law, it usually applies to direct and indirect contempt....