Class A Misdemeanors

How Does Illinois Penalize Violation of Civil No Contact Orders?

December 28, 2020
Thumbnail image for How Does Illinois Penalize Violation of Civil No Contact Orders?

Civil no contact orders are legal mechanisms under Illinois law designed to protect victims of sex crimes. These orders are available to victims of rape, sexual assault, or sexual abuse and their family or household members. Civil no contact orders are similar to an Illinois petition for order of protection in domestic violence cases. But […]

Read the full article

720 ILCS 5/31-4.5: Obstructing Identification & Providing a False Name to Police in Illinois

July 10, 2020
Thumbnail image for 720 ILCS 5/31-4.5: Obstructing Identification & Providing a False Name to Police in Illinois

NOTE: The following entry includes additional content to address the new Illinois requirements after Public Act 101-440 became effective. Since January 1, 2020, this Act amended the Criminal Identification Act and certain requirements for sealing criminal records. When a police officer conducts a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation, or detains a person on […]

Read the full article

625 ILCS 5/11-506: What are the laws, penalties, & sentencing for street racing in Illinois?

May 18, 2020
Thumbnail image for 625 ILCS 5/11-506: What are the laws, penalties, & sentencing for street racing in Illinois?

NOTE: This article contains new content to reflect Illinois law after Public Act 101-0172 became effective on January 1, 2020. Since that date, this Act increased the penalties for traffic offenses committed in highway construction or maintenance zones (625 ILCS 5/11-908). Street racing is a criminal offense in the Illinois Vehicle Code with very serious […]

Read the full article

Can parents in Illinois get charged with domestic battery for striking their children?

April 22, 2020
Thumbnail image for Can parents in Illinois get charged with domestic battery for striking their children?

NOTE: This page features updated content demonstrating 2020 changes in Illinois law with passage of Public Act 101-0130. Since its effective date of January 1, this Act removed the statute of limitations for the regular and aggravated versions of criminal sexual assault. Domestic battery is a serious criminal offense in Illinois. The first offense is […]

Read the full article

Will I lose my FOID card because of an order of protection?

April 6, 2020
Thumbnail image for Will I lose my FOID card because of an order of protection?

NOTE: The following entry features revised content to reflect Public Acts 100-607 and 100-906. When these acts became effective on January 1, 2019, there were numerous changes to the Illinois laws governing the denial, suspension, and revocation of firearm ownership rights. The State of Illinois has stringent regulations on the right to possess firearms when […]

Read the full article

720 ILCS 5/22-30: Illinois public indecency laws explained

March 16, 2020
Thumbnail image for 720 ILCS 5/22-30: Illinois public indecency laws explained

NOTE: There are changes to the original content of this article to cover the impact of Public Acts 96-1551 and 101-238. As recently as January 1, 2020, these acts amended the Illinois statutes concerning public indecency (720 ILCS 5/11-30) and disorderly conduct (720 ILCS 5/26-1) as well as the definitions of sexual conduct and penetration […]

Read the full article

Theft of lost property: not a criminal offense

February 11, 2020
Thumbnail image for Theft of lost property: not a criminal offense

NOTE: This article was updated to reflect 2020 changes in Illinois law with passage of Public Act 101-0394. These changes became effective on January 1st, amending the Illinois statute governing theft. Most people who are accused of theft suffer through feelings of anxiety and fear about the outcome of their case. For defendants charged with […]

Read the full article

Why was I arrested for domestic battery when the victim refused to sign a complaint?

February 4, 2020
Thumbnail image for Why was I arrested for domestic battery when the victim refused to sign a complaint?

NOTE: This article was updated to reflect 2020 changes in Illinois law with passage of Public Act 101-0130. These new laws became effective on January 1st, eliminating the statute of limitations for various sex crimes, including criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. All too often a person involved in […]

Read the full article

What is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois?

January 23, 2020
Thumbnail image for What is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois?

Note: This article has been updated to republished as of 2020. The misdemeanor sentencing structure is governed by 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-55. The last change to the statute became effective on July 1,2019. All criminal charges in the state of Illinois fall generally into two categories: felony and misdemeanor. The distinction between felony and misdemeanor is that […]

Read the full article

Penalties for the offense of retail theft under Illinois law

January 23, 2020
Thumbnail image for Penalties for the offense of retail theft under Illinois law

Note: This article has been revised as of January 2020 and reflects the updated statute of retail theft. Retail theft used to be codified under 720 ILCS 5/16A-13. The new statute is 720 ILCS 5/16-25 which became effective on January 1, 2012. This article also encompasses the changes from 2011 that increased the cutoff for […]

Read the full article

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →