Sugar Land Criminal Defense Blog

The idea of a criminal justice system is not only to penalize but also to rehabilitate. When children are involved in criminal activity, the focus of juvenile defense should be less on punitive actions and more on steering young offenders to make better choices and showing them that those choices can result in positive outcomes. Texas is making changes to try to improve those outcomes.

In a recent robbery, one adult and four  juveniles were arrested in a suspected armed robbery in Beaumont. The adult under arrest is a 19 year-old male. Three young teenagers wearing gloves, hoodies and masks robbed a convenience store at gunpoint at about 1:00 p.m. on a recent afternoon.

Most divorcing couples do their best to resolve all financial matters during the divorce process. In fact, resolving almost everything at that time is a legal necessity, especially in high asset divorce where many assets are in play. However, exes with shared children may find that over time, certain costs such as extracurricular activities, summer camp, insurance or phone bills may arise that were not considered in the original settlement. Here are some tips for Texas families broaching these issues in their parenting plans.

There are many child-related expenses a divorcing couple may not foresee, but someone with experience in these matters may have a better handle on what is to come. Both parties should speak with their attorneys about child care related costs to consider, as well as their options for covering these expenses. For example, some parents may make a 50/50 agreement while others might split it based on who has higher income.

In order to curb what is perceived to be an issue with young offenders, historically some municipalities have passed ordinances prohibiting young people from being outside past a certain point. In Austin, such curfews were in practice for 27 years until they were ended last August. Texas advocates and lawmakers are now looking at juvenile defense data in the area to find out if this change had an impact on crime rates.

The curfew was taken off the books after activists protested that the laws disproportionately affected minorities in the area. According to their data, over 1,000 people were stopped and 400 were ticketed under the ordinance, primarily in and between Northeast and Southeast Austin. The curfew was a class C misdemeanor violation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the rate of DUIs in the United States is on the decline. Despite this decrease, DUI charges are still a focus for law enforcement across Texas and the country. Here are a few statistics regarding the prevalence of drunk driving and related charges in the United States.

The NHTSA notes that nationwide, 1.58 percent of drivers have had a DUI in the past seven years. Some states have a significantly higher rate; however, Texas is largely at or lower than this average. According to statistics, Dallas is the only city in the state with a higher rate of DUIs than the national average with 1.62 percent of drivers having a DUI in the last seven years.