Normally my posts address issues pertaining to people with criminal backgrounds. Today, however, I want to talk about something that happened to my brother a few months ago. My brother suffers from a mental illness. Like people who have a criminal history, people who are mentally ill struggle daily to gain acceptance in a society that rarely takes the time to get to them know - to see past the labels.
Read MoreAfter several failed lobbying attempts, the Illinois Legislature finally agreed to amend the Criminal Identification Act to extend the right to seal to individuals with minor violent (misdemeanor) offenses such as simple battery, assault, and reckless conduct. On August 19, 2014, Governor signed this legislation into law. The law will go into effect starting January 1, 2015.
Read MoreExpungement Lawyers. For the last several years the U.S. economy has failed to create enough jobs for the number of people looking for work. Illinoisans have suffered more than others. Illinois ranks third in the percentage of unemployed workers – 8.6% -- only Rhode Island and Nevada have higher rates of employment.
Read MoreSeveral months ago I published the first part of a two-part blog posting on separating fact from fiction on the ramifications of having a criminal record. This posting includes the remaining five things you should know if you have a criminal record in Illinois:
Read MoreThe truth about having a criminal record is often misunderstood. Whether the fault of arm chair legal "experts" or urban legend, there is a great deal of information out there that is simply not true. The following is a list of the some of the most commonly-held falsehoods:
Read MoreExpungement Lawyers. The New York Times’ Ethicist columnist (“The Right to Remain Silent,” Sept. 8, 2013) recently was asked by a Vermont resident named Jim if it would be ethical to answer “no” to a prospective employer’s query about having an arrest record if he’d been arrested but never formally charged with a crime?
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