Recent Blog Posts
Teen Sexting: Girl Charged With Sex Crimes Against Herself
"Victimless crime" is a common phrase used to rationalize certain illegal behaviors, such as public intoxication and recreational drug use. It implies that no other party was injured or damaged by the activity and, in the minds of certain groups, should be therefore punished less harshly or not at all. While there may be some merit to such an argument, could it possible to commit a crime against yourself? Based on recent case in North Carolina in which a teen girl was charged with sex crimes against herself, the answer seems to be "maybe."
Teen Sexting
According to a number of recent studies, as many as one in four teens engage in sexting, or sending sexually explicit images electronically to another person. As such, it hardly seemed all that unusual for a 16-year-old Fayetteville, NC, girl to send a nude photo of herself to her boyfriend, also age 16. She was arrested on two counts of sexual exploitation, one for possessing the photo and one for sending it. The warrant for her arrest, reports indicate, listed her as both the suspected adult perpetrator and the minor victim. The boyfriend faced similar charges for possessing the picture she sent, along with several explicit photos of himself. While certain concessions are often made for consent and similarity in age, the local sheriff’s department said, such charges are not often dismissed completely. The case, and others like it around the country raise some very interesting questions about the correlation of technology, social morality, and law enforcement.
The True Cost of a DUI
A driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol charge in Illinois is serious business. Not only does a DUI conviction carry serious penalties, it also carries hefty financial consequences. The consequences for a DUI conviction are laid out in 625 ILCS 5/11-501(c)(1)-(5), which include jail time, fines and mandatory community service. There is also the unfortunate chance that getting a DUI conviction will result in the development of a poor reputation amongst peers and colleagues.
The total true cost for a DUI depends on a lot of factors, such as whether the DUI is a first-time offense, whether there was any property damage as a result of the DUI (as would be the case of a drunk driving collision), whether anyone was hurt as a result of the DUI, and how intoxicated the driver is at the time of the DUI.
Money Considerations
A DUI is an immensely expensive and the costs add up quickly. For instance, you will have to pay:
Major Changes to Illinois Divorce Laws Coming in January
Thanks to legislation passed by the State House and Senate earlier this year and signed by Governor Bruce Rauner in July, divorce laws in Illinois are being rewritten for the first time in nearly 40 years. The legislation took the form of a single bill, introduced as Senate Bill 57 in January, 2015, but its effects will be widespread, impacting a significant number of family law provisions, including those regarding divorce, child custody, and, as discussed on this blog previously, parental relocation. Future posts will address some of the other areas of change, but the amendments to the divorce laws are likely to begin affecting Illinois residents very quickly.
Only No-Fault Divorce
While every state in America currently provides couples the ability to divorce on the “no-fault” grounds of irreconcilable differences, a little less than half still allow divorce on fault grounds as well. Currently, that is the case in Illinois, as an individual may seek a divorce based on the actions or behavior of his or her spouse, including ongoing substance abuse, mental or physical cruelty, abandonment, or adultery. Beginning January 1, 2016, however, fault grounds will no longer be an option. Instead, all divorces will be officially granted on the basis of irreconcilable differences.
The Crime of Reckless Driving
One of the most common traffic violations is reckless driving since so many of a driver’s actions while behind the wheel could be construed as reckless driving. Illinois law enforcement and the courts are strict when it comes to reckless driving charges because the driver’s actions may have:
- Put others on the roadway at risk;
- Resulted in property damage to another; or
- Caused an accident where another person was injured or killed.
What is Reckless Driving?
According to Section 625 ILCS 5/11-503, reckless driving occurs when a person drives a vehicle with a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others, or it a person knowingly drives a vehicle so quickly up an inclined roadway, such as a hill or railroad crossing, as to cause the vehicle to become airborne.
The language of Illinois’ reckless driving statute is often broadly construed by law enforcement, and many drivers are ticketed, or even arrested on the spot, after driving at a high rate of speed, swerving between lanes or around other vehicles, tailgating, not using turn signals properly, or aggressively weaving in and out of traffic – all under the pretenses that the driver was operating the vehicle in a way that willfully or wantonly disregards the safety of others on the roadway.
Juvenile Crime: Even Minor Offenses Can Have Huge Impact on Your Child’s Future
All too often, good kids get involved with a bad crowd and end up getting into trouble with the law. The crimes are usually the result of a moment of poor judgement (sometimes very poor judgement), but are not overly serious offenses. When teens get arrested for acts of vandalism, such as defacing property or damaging property, it can upset the whole family and can affect the teen’s life in unforeseen ways in the future.
Defacement of Property
One of the most common crimes committed by teens involves acts of vandalism or the defacement of property through graffiti art, marking or painting someone else’s property. Teens can face serious consequences, under 720 ILCS 5/21-1.3, if they are caught by police. For instance:
- A first offense that causes less than $300 worth of damage is a Class B misdemeanor, and is punishable by a fine of up to $1,500 and up to six months of jail time;
Flaws in the System: Wrongful Convictions
In many high-profile criminal cases, the court of public opinion will decide on a defendant’s guilt long before a trial ever begins. In fact, you can probably think of several examples in which you “knew” a famous suspect was guilty or not guilty of a violent crime simply based your impressions. American society, however, places a great deal of faith in the criminal justice system and, for the most part, if a defendant is convicted in court, the general public tends to believe he or she committed the crime. But what if he or she did not and was convicted anyway? Sadly, wrongful convictions sometimes ruin the lives of innocent people, and some of the reasons behind flawed verdicts may surprise you.
Factors of Wrongful Convictions
A recent study funded by the National Institute of Justice and conducted by a team from American University in Washington, D.C., looked at more than 450 cases to identify the factors that could contribute to a defendant being wrongfully convicted. In each case, the defendant, whether convicted or not, was later found to be factually innocent of the crime of which he or she was accused. The researchers, led by Dr. Jon B. Gould, J.D., director of the Washington Institute for Public and International Affairs Research at American University, compared the cases of wrongful convictions with those in which an innocent suspect was found not guilty or had the charges dismissed.
Drive Sober: DUI and Seatbelt Campaigns Get Final Summer Push
As summer draws to a close in northern Illinois, law enforcement officials in a number of area municipalities are ramping up safe driving enforcement activities. This comes as part of a nationwide effort to crack down on drunk driving, along with a continued focus on ensuring drivers are using seatbelts. The highly-publicized campaign got underway last weekend and will continue through the Labor Day holiday on September 7.
National DUI Awareness
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has invested more than $13 million in advertising and public awareness to spread the word about this focused operation. It comes as part of the NHTSA’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, aimed at reducing accidents and injuries related to driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. More than 10,000 local police departments throughout the country are expected to participate in the effort, including many in the Chicagoland region. There is expected to be zero tolerance for driving with blood alcohol content (BAC) above the legal limit of .08 percent. The NHSTA wants you to know that if you drive drunk, you will be arrested.
Consequences of Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License
When your driver’s license has been suspended or revoked, it can become a significant inconvenience for you. You cannot drive yourself places and may have to rely on others for help.
Some people think that they can drive on a suspended or revoked license, just so long as they do not get caught. However, doing so could, in fact, lead to significant penalties and lasting repercussions on the driver’s life.
Being Caught Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License
Illinois law 625 ILCS 5/6-303 prohibits an Illinois driver from operating a motor vehicle while his or her driver’s license is suspended or revoked. As such, drivers face a number of consequences when they are caught driving on a suspended or revoked license, and penalties for doing so vary based on why the driver’s license was suspended or revoked in the first place, and whether this is a first, second, third or subsequent offense.
New Guidelines Regarding Relocation with Your Child
As the primary residential parent, you have taken on a great deal of responsibility for the well-being of your child. In an ideal world, the other parent would remain cooperative in your joint efforts in raising the child, or, at the very least, stay current on child support and exercise visitation rights. Reality, however, is not always ideal, and, in some cases, the best option for you and your child may lie in pursuing opportunities out of town or, sometimes, out of state. If you are already considering such a move, it is important to be aware of changes to parental relocation laws that are set to take effect in January, as the new provisions could greatly impact your necessary steps.
Current Laws Affect Out-Of-State Moves
Existing provisions in Illinois law require you to seek the other parent’s consent if you wish move with your child to a new home outside of the state. Once you have obtained permission, you will need to notify the court overseeing your custody order. If the other parent will not allow the move, you may seek the court’s override, but you will be required to prove that the move is in the best interest of the child and that you are acting in good faith.
Criminal Sentencing: How Much Time Does One Serve?
When a person is facing criminal charges one of the primary concerns he or she has is how much prison time is possible. Every crime has a set punishment or range of possible punishments, but in our society that really does not tell us much. Each state is different and has its own complicated systems. Some states have parole; some states do not have parole. Some decrease sentences for good behavior, while others may not. Some have conditional release while others do not. This makes it extremely unlikely that someone who has not gone through the criminal process in a particular state will understand exactly how much time he or she is facing.
Illinois Does Not Have Parole
As a general rule, Illinois does not have a system of parole. Parole is a system where an inmate serves part of his or her sentence and then goes before a board who decides whether he or she should stay in prison or be granted an early release. A person granted parole faces restrictions similar to those on probation until his or her entire sentence is served either in prison or on parole. Illinois used to have a parole system; however, in the 1970s the legislature did away with it. What this means is that there are a few people who were convicted of crimes decades ago that still have a right to parole hearings and who may possibly be granted parole. And, if you commit a crime in Illinois now and you are convicted, you will not be eligible for parole. In addition, crimes in Illinois do often come with a term of supervised release. This is similar to parole, in that it is a period of supervision that comes after incarceration, but it is for a set term of years and does not result in early release.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Arlington Heights Office 3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120 Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Phone: 847-253-3100
At Cosley Law Office, we represent clients throughout Illinois, including Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Long Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Northbrook, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Wheeling, and Wood Dale, as well as Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County, and throughout the Chicago, IL metropolitan area.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
© 2026 Cosley Law Office
3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-253-3100