By: LINDSEY O’NEILL, ESQ.
Even if you don’t watch the television program “COPS,” you might wonder the most common reasons people get arrested. Well, you’re in luck because the FBI reports on just that topic! According to the FBI/DOJ Report, Crime in the United States 2008, there were about 14 million arrests last year. There were more arrests for property crimes than any other crime - about 1.7 million arrests. Theft ranks next on the list after property crimes, ranking in at an estimated 1.2 million arrests or so. Here is the chart from the FBI website:
Estimated Number of Arrests
United States, 2008
United States, 2008
| Total1 | 14,005,615 |
|---|---|
| Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter | 12,955 |
| Forcible rape | 22,584 |
| Robbery | 129,403 |
| Aggravated assault | 429,969 |
| Burglary | 308,479 |
| Larceny-theft | 1,266,706 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 98,035 |
| Arson | 14,125 |
| Violent crime2 | 594,911 |
| Property crime2 | 1,687,345 |
| Other assaults | 1,298,342 |
| Forgery and counterfeiting | 90,127 |
| Fraud | 234,199 |
| Embezzlement | 21,402 |
| Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing | 111,319 |
| Vandalism | 285,012 |
| Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc. | 179,661 |
| Prostitution and commercialized vice | 75,004 |
| Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution) | 79,914 |
| Drug abuse violations | 1,702,537 |
| Gambling | 9,811 |
| Offenses against the family and children | 118,419 |
| Driving under the influence | 1,483,396 |
| Liquor laws | 625,939 |
| Drunkenness | 611,069 |
| Disorderly conduct | 685,985 |
| Vagrancy | 33,852 |
| All other offenses | 3,835,083 |
| Suspicion | 1,650 |
| Curfew and loitering law violations | 133,063 |
| Runaways | 109,225 |
If you’ve been charged with a crime, you need to protect your legal rights. Consult an attorney as soon as possible regarding the charges, the circumstances of your arrest, and the facts of your case. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. A criminal defense attorney can advise you about your rights, what the prosecution must prove in order to convict you of the offense charged, and how the evidence in your case will likely impact the result. An attorney can also help negotiate a favorable plea bargain and advocate for the most favorable sentencing for any conviction. For more information about being charged with a crime, or to find a criminal defense attorney, visit LawInfo’s Legal Resource Center or search for an attorney in your area using our attorney directory.
You say not to accept a plea agreement if your not guilty of the crime, that this is an admission of guilt. Not necessarily so. When one sits in the county jail for 5,6, 7 months even a year, with no support from anyone, waiting for a court date. Even though you know your not guilty, when they tell you that you will be released today if you accept a lesser plea to your charge, with time served and probation, this sounds good to someone who has been sitting for however long, with absolutely nothing. Wrong or right this is one reason why this is an acceptable agreement at the time. What is not realized is this will come back to bite you in the @$$ in the future.
Something that happened to me 12yrs ago, has done just that. Although the initial charge was dissmissed, an escape charge was added because I left the hospital when they released me and later found out , the hospital was supposed to contact the local police dept. Which they didnt, and I sat in the lobby watching them run around like headless chickens looking for whoever. The whoever, as I later found out was me. Charges of escape follow me to this day, as I recently found out, dealing with a (self defense) assault with domestic violence charge against me now. The other day you posed a question on your show. Should a person be held responsible for assault charges when the injuries inflicted were in self defense? I called and gave my comment later to find out your opinion, I wanted to give you mine.
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