Williamsport Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Blog

In Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the U.S., hate crimes are a punishable offense. Hate crimes are defined as traditional offenses that range from arson and vandalism to murder, with the exception that there is an additional element of bias. For example, if a person vandalized a piece of property due to the owner's race, disability, religion, gender or sexual orientation, that person may be charged with a hate crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations considers hate crimes to be of high priority due to the fact that hatred and intolerance could potentially turn violent and encourage terrorism on domestic soil. In fact, the FBI has been investigating these claims since World War I. The role of the FBI increased even further after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

If you are currently facing charges related to tax evasion, you may have concerns about the potential penalties you may face and whether you may have to spend time behind bars. Maybe you honestly forgot to file taxes one year and your finances have spiraled in the time since, or perhaps you understated the amount you owe, and you are wondering whether it will come back to haunt you. While tax crimes are undeniably serious in nature, in reality, the chance of you having to serve time for tax evasion are relatively slim.

It is, however, not impossible, and there are certain actions you may take that can make the Internal Revenue Service more likely to consider filing criminal tax charges against you.

For many people in Pennsylvania who maintain their innocence despite being convicted of a crime, mistaken identity and wrongful identification could be a critical issue. DNA testing has helped to prove the innocence of a number of people across the country who were convicted of serious crimes like rape and murder in which modern-day technologies have allowed new discoveries to be made in old cases. In a number of the convictions overturned through DNA tests, eyewitness misidentification of the person responsible has been a significant factor.

Eyewitness identification, while a staple of crime shows and even many actual courtroom criminal trials and police identification processes, can often be problematic according to many experts. There are some reforms to help alleviate issues that have arisen repeatedly when relying on eyewitness information. Studies show that when presented with six photos, witnesses will generally choose the person who looks closest to what they remember. However, the sight of the photos can further influence the witness' recollection so that their identification in a live lineup can be affected by the earlier photos.

The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole is one dozens of state agencies around the country to have adopted the use of electronic monitoring bracelets to combat drunk driving. Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring, or SCRAM, bracelets detect even trace amounts of alcohol in an offender's bloodstream, and they offer a number of benefits to both law enforcement and the individuals who wear them.

In addition to monitoring offenders for alcohol consumption every 30 minutes, the SCRAM bracelets used in Pennsylvania send out alerts when efforts are made to tamper with them and keep track of curfew compliance. This information is stored in a database that is accessible by the state's parole officers around the clock. Judges often consider SCRAM bracelets appropriate when they do not feel that offenders are dangerous but are concerned about their history of substance abuse problems.