Sutnick & Sutnick Attorneys at Law's Blog

It's been just over a year since New Jersey Bail Reform and Speed Trial Act took effect, and several other states are following New Jersey's lead in eliminating bail for those accused of certain crimes. While you may never expect to be arrested, having an understanding of the process may prove helpful in the event that you or a loved one has a run-in with the law.

Before the passing of the bail reform law, it was not unusual for someone to spend close to a year behind bars just waiting for trial. In fact, one study showed that over 50 percent of those in the county jails across the country have not been convicted of any crime but are simply waiting for their trial. They remain in jail because they can't afford to post bail.

In past generations, the term Sunday driver referred to someone who walked during the week and only used the car for leisurely Sunday drives. Because of the person's lack of experience behind the wheel, he or she typically drove very slowly. Between gas prices and the hectic pace of traffic these days, you may not be able to imagine taking a drive just for the fun of it, and if you have a crazy commute to work, the last thing you may want to do on your day off is get in the car and drive.

Nevertheless, you may meet Sunday drivers any day of the week because the term has come to mean any driver who pokes along holding up the normal flow of traffic. If you take your life in your hands each day by driving among speed demons, you may think that driving too slowly is not a bad idea. However, Sunday driving has its own dangers.

Do you fall into the group that loves shopping or the group that hates it? Either way, a problematic issue in many areas that might affect your shopping experience in one way or another is shoplifting. This crime costs store owners billions of dollars every year and often winds up taking money out of your pocket as a consumer when they raise prices to cover their losses.

If a store owner or security guard accuses you of shoplifting, that will obviously also greatly impact your life. In fact, your shopping days may be over for quite some time until you resolve the situation. There are certain items that may cause you to come under the radar of store clerks, managers or security officials.

Sometimes, you can't avoid getting into an altercation. Even if you may have avoided the incident at some point, ultimately, you ended up involved and now you face charges for aggravated assault. You probably have some sense that the penalties you face are harsher than they would be for a simple assault or assault, but you may not quite understand why you face the more serious charge.

Facing any sort of criminal charges can cause you a great deal of fear. Not quite understanding the charges makes this fear even worse. If the circumstances surrounding the incident fall into one of the following categories, this may explain why you face a charge for aggravated assault.