Supervision

Important changes to Illinois retail theft laws in the year 2012

April 24, 2012

Illinois state law concerning retail theft has seen some significant changes in the year 2012. State lawmakers in Springfield have overhauled the retail theft statute. First, the offense is no longer found under 720 ILCS 5/16A-1. That section was repealed, and replaced by Section 16-25. All charges for retail theft written in 2012 fall under [...]

Read the full article

Summary of sentencing rules for misdemeanor offenders

December 5, 2011

The potential penalties for a Class A misdemeanor offense include up to one year in the county jail and a maximum fine of $2500. Technically, a sentence of incarceration can last for only 364 days. A jail sentence of 365 days or more is only permissible for a felony offense. Additionally, any sentence lasting one [...]

Read the full article

Examining State Police expungement statistics

October 4, 2011

The Illinois State Police are mandated by law to keep track of how many petitions to expunge or seal they receive each year, and what the outcome is. This is a new legal obligation. It became mandatory through the Expungement Backlog Accountability Law. 20 ILCS 2630/14.
In the past, the State Police were notorious for delay [...]

Read the full article

Illinois felonies result in conviction despite fact that offender has no criminal background

May 24, 2011

A person with no experience in the criminal justice system will see that the courts make a distinction between felony and misdemeanor cases. In almost every courthouse in Illinois, felony cases are heard by a judge who hears only felony matters. The judge presiding over felony cases is usually a Circuit Judge. These judges are [...]

Read the full article

New Illinois law criminalizes parents who leave children with sex offenders

April 29, 2011

Illinois lawmakers made a new criminal offense concerning sex offenders in 2011. Effective on January 1, 2011, the new law prohibits parents from leaving their children unattended with a child sex offender.
The new law is found in the criminal code at 720 ILCS 5/12-21.6-5. The statute says that it is a Class A misdemeanor offense [...]

Read the full article

What is a Class C misdemeanor in Illinois?

April 10, 2011

The Class C misdemeanor in Illinois is an atypical offense. Most misdemeanor offenses are categorized as Class A misdemeanors, not Class C misdemeanors.
The law in Illinois says that a person charged with a Class C misdemeanor is subject to a maximum 30 days imprisonment and fine of $1,500.
On the books, there are three types of [...]

Read the full article

What is a Class B misdemeanor in Illinois?

March 23, 2011

Under Illinois law, a criminal offense is generally classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor. The difference between felony and misdemeanor is that a felony has a penalty of one year or more imprisonment, whereas a misdemeanor is a penalty of less than one year.
There are three types of misdemeanors: Class A, Class B, [...]

Read the full article

What is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois?

February 13, 2011

All criminal charges in the state of Illinois fall generally into two categories: felony and misdemeanor. The distinction between felony and misdemeanor is that a felony offense has a possible sentence of one year or more imprisonment, whereas a misdemeanor is less than one year. Most states classify their offenses in this same manner.
The Illinois [...]

Read the full article

I need to move away from Illinois. How can I transfer my probation to another state?

August 28, 2010

A defendant who is placed on probation for a criminal offense generally cannot leave the state without permission of the court. The same rule applies while on bond. On request, some courts will grant a defendant permission to travel out of state for a job, or in cases of family or medical emergency.
The law allows [...]

Read the full article

I have a CDL and got a traffic ticket. Can I get supervision?

March 11, 2010

Court supervision is the preferred disposition of a moving violation for almost anyone with a traffic court date. Supervision is not a conviction and thus it does not put points on your license.
Although many traffic court judges advise defendants that after the supervision, the ticket will not be on their driving record, this is not [...]

Read the full article

← Previous Entries