expunge

Cook County to host annual expungement summit June 2, 2012

May 1, 2012
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All persons who have ever been arrested in Cook County should be aware of the free expungement seminar scheduled for June 2, 2012. Under Illinois law, any person who is arrested and charged with a crime has a record with the Illinois State Police that can be disseminated nationwide. The record of the arrest remains […]

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Important new bill in legislature would expunge felonies

March 26, 2012
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In the current legislative session, Illinois lawmakers are considering a very important new statute to be added to the criminal code. Senate Bill 3349, proposed by Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago), would create a special type of probation for felonies that can be expunged. If signed by the governor, a defendant with a pending felony would […]

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Examining State Police expungement statistics

October 4, 2011
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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 […]

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New Illinois law criminalizes possession of bath salts, K2 and Spice

July 22, 2011
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Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed a law on July 22, 2011 that makes it a criminal offense to possess bath salts. Bath salts are also known as MDPV, and cause a hallucinogenic experience with the user. A woman in downstate Illinois died from an overdose of bath salts within the last year. Illinois is now […]

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What does it mean to be convicted of a crime in Illinois?

February 28, 2011
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One of the most frequently misused terms in criminal law is conviction.  All too often a person will talk about a case and say that if they’re found guilty they were convicted.  But this is not entirely accurate. Under Illinois law, when a person is found guilty the court enters a judgment against him.  The […]

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