Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
Violent crimes occur just about anywhere, but they most often occur in the city. Chicago is no exception. Being charged with a violent crime can force you to put your life on hold, especially if you are convicted and sentenced to time in prison. The minute you are arrested and charged with a violent crime, you need to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to begin fighting for your freedom. Let’s take a look at the crimes that are considered violent:
Domestic Violence
Quite possibly one of the most common types of violent crime is that of domestic violence. Domestic violence is when one person uses behavior, language, and threats in an attempt to control or intimidate someone else. It most often occurs between family members, such as parents and adult children, siblings, spouses, partners and anyone living together. You do not technically have to be married to be involved in a domestic dispute. You do not even have to be living together. You could be divorced, separated, or dating.
Domestic violence includes more than just physical violence. Emotional abuse occurs in relationships, which counts as domestic violence. These situations typically escalate to violent encounters between two or more people. These encounters can include physical altercations with punching, choking, kicking, biting, scratching and even the use of weapons. Some domestic violence situations result in death.
False Imprisonment
False imprisonment might not sound too violent at first but the more you think about it, the more you understand why it is categorized as a violent crime. More often than not, physical force is used in a case involving false imprisonment, which is what makes it a violent crime. When a person is falsely imprisoned, it means that he or she has been held at a location against his or her will. It can involve grabbing someone and dragging them into a car or building. It can also include holding onto someone else so tightly that they cannot escape your grasp.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is another type of violent crime that is common in the Chicago area. Sexual assault is the unwanted or unwelcome touching of another. This crime typically involves groping, assault and battery, and rape. Almost all cases of sexual assault involve some sort of violence. Whether the culprit forcibly grabbed the victim, hit them, shoved them into a room or used any other type of violence to subdue them, all of it makes sexual assault a violent crime in the eyes of the law.
Homicides
Homicide, also known as murder, occurs when one person kills another. Cases of self defense that end in death typically do not get counted as homicide. Homicides are listed as violent crimes because malicious intent to kill is required when proving the charge in court. It is also considered a violent crime due to the way that people are killed. Brute force could be used by the defendant’s hands, legs, or weapons.
Assault and Battery
One of the more common types of violent crimes is that of assault and battery. Contrary to popular belief, assault is not the actual act of physically touching someone. That part is what is known as battery.
Have you been charged with a violent crime in Chicago? You need to defend your rights immediately by calling the office of David Freidberg at 312-560-7100 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. Representation from an experienced criminal defense attorney goes a long way when facing such a charge.
(image courtesy of Daniel Garcia)
