Terms and Definitions

Parents, according to criminal defense, are the people who are the legal parents and are responsible for the upbringing of one or more children. Adult household members that formerly or presently live together and are the natural parents of the same child should provide essential needs such as food, shelter and education to the child. This is also true for stepparents as well as adoptive parents that live with the child. Child abuse is particularly sensitive in the law. That’s because the legal [...]

Abusive partners are those that, unfortunately, have adopted a systematic pattern of abusive behaviors against their romantic partners to non-consensually control their thoughts, actions, beliefs, spirit and their body. Abusive partners may present characteristics such as: Subtle controlling behavior: Victims may feel wary of their partners and tend to do the things that will not get them in trouble. Explosive incidents: At this point, many victims will live in fear of being hurt or stay in [...]

Domestic violence has been successfully eradicated in several communities around the globe due to civic and community action. Some communities view acts of violence against a partner or household member as an act of violence against the society as a whole. Moreover, community organizations fronting the rights of women across the globe have successfully changed national policies that have greatly reduced domestic violence. There is an increasing awareness of domestic violence and child abuse in [...]

The criminal justice system has been more and more focused on rehabilitation in recent years. One way of focusing on rehabilitating people is to instruct them to take classes in drug and alcohol abuse. These classes can help people target the reasons for their drinking and develop skills that lead them to stop drinking as much. They can be effective at helping a person overcome their personal demons and avoid another DUI charge. [...]

Domestic abuse refers to the action, attempted action, or threatened act of violence against a person with whom the offender is or was in an intimate relationship with or lives in the same household. It also refers to crimes such as stalking, coercion or harassment of an individual in the same household or with whom the perpetrator has had an intimate relationship with. Coercion, in this case, includes forcing, intimidating, or threatening to use force to compel a person to engage in actions for [...]

Domestic partnerships are very similar to marriage, but apply to unmarried partners who share a common household and are in an intimate relationship. The relation is, unlike marriage, not legally identified as a marriage by the state in which the individuals reside. A domestic partnership consists of two people of different or the same sex. There are state laws that use the phrase “Spousal equivalent” to refer to a relationship in which the partners provide similar physical, financial and [...]

Domestic relations is a field of family law that regulates relations within a household or family. These relations were in the recent past limited to issues between parents, spouses, wards, legal guardians and children. Issues within this purview are resolved only in domestic courts also known as family courts. Statutory definitions further instruct the ability of a family court to hear cases involving domestic relations. For instance, section 3105.011 of Ohio state laws was revised to constrain [...]

Drunk driving is the act of driving a car or another vehicle while intoxicated. Intoxicated is defined in different ways in different situations. The classic definition of driving while intoxicated is a person who gets behind the wheel with a blood alcohol content of greater than 0.08. But it can also involve driving with lower blood alcohol content levels for special populations such as the drivers of commercial vehicles and minors. There are also several drugs that can lead a person to be impaired [...]

A drunk driving charge is when a person receives if he or she is caught driving while drunk. There are few restrictions as to the vehicles in which a person can drive while intoxicated and receive one of these charges. People can receive a drunk driving charge in a wide variety of vehicles. Some common alternative vehicles include boats and ATVs. There are a number of ways that law enforcement can prove a drunk driving charge. Most famous among these is the breathalyzer test. Breathalyzer tests [...]

A DUI conviction can lead to many negative outcomes. A person can lose their job or their car. They can receive negative headlines in the media. Their mugshot might be plastered on television or a website. But people can also fight DUI charges and avoid a conviction. If they can prove chain of custody issues with testing materials, they can often beat these charges and win an acquittal. [...]

Maximum penalties vary widely in the state of Georgia. People who are charged and convicted of DUI for a first offense can face several days in jail, a restriction of their driving privileges, and the requirement to attend classes and perform community service. Some or all of these restraints can be listed in many instances for a first offense if a person does not have anything else on their criminal record. More offenses obviously mean higher maximum sentences. The amount of maximum jail time that [...]

In special cases in family law, there is the question of the jurisdiction of some of the laws applying to marriage, custody or divorce. Most people wonder whether the laws of child custody or divorce in their state will be considered in a different jurisdiction. For cases involving child custody, most nations across the globe have joined the Hague Convention in accepting the Civil aspects of International Child Abduction to grant recognition for other member states’ child custody laws and reduce [...]

Family law entails matters pertaining to household, parental, and child laws. Some of the subjects that are most commonly classified under family law include: Marriages, domestic partnerships and civil unions Child custody, child support, and alimony awards Divorce, property settlements, alimony and annulment Adoption Child protective proceedings Surrogacy: Law of the process of giving birth as a surrogate mother Paternity: Laws establishing whether paternity should be established [...]

A felony is a much more serious violation of the law. These transgressions often come with a jail sentence and a hefty fine. People who are accused of felonies tend to have to put up thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in order to fight the charge and possibly avoid it. DUIs can only lead to these charges in a rare handful of instances. There are DUIs that cause severe damage or injuries that can be pursued as felonies. There are also situations where a person is accused of their fifth or sixth [...]

First-time DUI offenders will most likely receive the judicial equivalent of a slap on the wrist. They will have to attend classes and will often have to perform a certain amount of community service. A person may spend a day in jail or two. But in the vast majority of instances, the first conviction does not involve jail time. A DUI is seen as a dangerous action that could potentially lead to severe injuries or property damage if it happens again. [...]

Victims of intimate partner violence are those found to have been threatened by or subject to criminal offenses by a person: To whom the victim has been or is still married to With whom the victim was dating, or in a romantic or sexual relationship with With whom the victim is or was in a domestic partnership with Intimate partners are people that have been involved in a dating relationship, people who reside together, or persons that have resided together in the past, or have had a [...]

Misdemeanors are the least serious charges in the criminal justice system. They are a wide variety of transgressions that involve minor violations of property rights or physical safety. In most cases, misdemeanors do not bring about any jail time. They are not even pursued in a vast majority of situations. When a misdemeanor does come to trial, both sides are implored to pursue settlements and look at plea deals. Some people convicted of misdemeanors are even allowed to serve out their sentences on house arrest. [...]

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition triggered by a terrifying event in a person’s life. The person may have witnessed or experienced the terrifying event. Most cases of PTSD are caused by incidents of domestic violence. Symptoms of this mental health condition include nightmares, flashbacks, uncontrollable thoughts related to the event, as well as severe anxiety. Most victims of severe trauma have temporary difficulties coping with day-to-day activities. However, with good care, [...]

If you have been a victim of domestic abuse, you need to assess the risks to you and your family members. You do not want to live under the same roof with someone or people that get violent and hurt you or your loved ones. Physical injury is often considered the biggest risk to the victims of domestic violence. Victims that live with violent people that abuse alcohol and other substances face the highest risk of physical injury. That’s because of the fact that under the influence of alcohol, [...]

Risky sexual behavior [...]

Serial abusers are the type of abusers that go from one victim to the other. A serial abuser can be a pedophile (childhood sex abuser), a serial rapist, a workplace sexual harassment, or a sex trafficker. The motivation behind the abuse mostly stems from sex and power, and the offender often has a pattern of victims that they entrap with focus and premeditation. Serial abusers often develop a double life, making sure that their public life remains exemplary while they cultivate techniques to abuse [...]

Drug and substance abuse is closely linked to domestic violence and often occurs concurrently. One is often a sign of the other, and in most instances, one causes the other. While they are related, there is none that always precedes the other. Drug abuse does not always lead to physical or emotional violence, and domestic violence is not always the cause of overindulgence in alcohol or drug use. However, when drug and substance abuse happen concurrently with domestic violence, it could lead to [...]

Domestic violence often begins subtly, where the offender randomly becomes violent over events frustrating them. However, others seek to gain a position of control and power over their intimate partner or family. Abuse can be emotional, physical, sexual, psychological, or economic actions or threats that are meant to intimidate, hurt, or control another person. Unhealthy behavioral patterns should be keenly observed to avoid instances of serious physical or emotional injury. Behaviors that intimidate, [...]

Violence among family members can be caused by a wide range of factors. It includes intimate partner abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse. Family violence is estimated to affect approximately 10 million people every year in the US alone. Factors that cause violence in families are mostly economic and psychological. Family violence can range from stalking to psychological aggression and physical violence by a member of the household against a victim of the same household. It is often very difficult [...]

Unlike volatile relationships, which are characterized by disconnection, violent relationships are characterized by bitter arguments and fights. Violent relationships often start out as volatile relationships that go unsolved for years. Unfortunately, by the time relationships get violent, most victims are intimidated of reporting the cases to authorities and health facilities or even leaving. Most of the time, violence in a relationship is not obvious. Abuse is not always limited to physical [...]

Most people do not think they are in a volatile relationship until violence sets on and it is too late to get help. Most of the time, even in volatile relationships, couples enjoy a good time. But a small fraction of the time, they get into arguments and even fights. However, the consistency and extent of violence should be big signs of a volatile relationship. Signs of a volatile relationship include bitter arguments for even the slightest mistakes by either partners, or insensitivity to the [...]