The state of Iowa recognizes the right of people to defend themselves from the use of unlawful force. Commonly known as self-defense laws, these statutes define the use of reasonable force and where and when you may take action to protect yourself or others from the...
Criminal Defense
The elements of a burglary charge in Iowa
Most people associate burglary with theft, but the main element of a burglary charge is entering an occupied structure with the intent to commit a crime. Most people who are charged with burglary in Iowa are accused of entering a building without permission to commit...
Defining white-collar crime
White-collar crimes in Iowa are usually committed by executives, managers, and other professionals in positions of authority or power. These individuals use their access to resources or status to commit crimes for their financial gain. The crimes do not typically...
Problems inherent in police lineups
Police lineups have long been used to identify suspects in Iowa criminal investigations. However, in recent years, there has been growing concern over the reliability of eyewitness identification and the potential for police lineups to result in wrongful convictions....
Types of money laundering in Iowa
Understanding what is and isn't money laundering in Iowa can sometimes be confusing. The concept of money laundering can cover many types of behavior, and it might not be apparent at first what applies and what doesn't. Money laundering falls under the category of...
What is a substance, and what are the different types?
Although many people in Iowa walk the straight and narrow, others have problems staying sober. In the latter situation, someone might use drugs or alcohol recreationally or as the result of an addiction. Defining substances A substance is any illegal or legal drug...
The slippery slope known as accounting fraud
Accounting fraud is a deliberate and willful misleading of financial records in an effort to deceive the public about a company's financial well-being. Sometimes, employees are involved in the falsification and cover-up of fiscal impropriety designed to dupe the...
Bitemark evidence concerns
Bitemark evidence may play a prominent role in prosecuting a violent crime. Supposedly, experts can match the bitemarks on a victim to a defendant's teeth. Convictions based on bitemark evidence are possible in an Iowa criminal court. What worries many justice...
Maximum sentences for Iowa felonies
Iowa has set maximum sentences for felonies committed in the state. The maximum sentence for a felony, class 'A' in Iowa, is life. Class A punishment also requires no possibility of parole. The governor may only commute this sentence. Maximum sentences for felonies in...
How stereotypes go from hurtful to lethal
Stereotypes and generalizations based on things like race or gender aren't just philosophically wrong. There are real impacts for people in Iowa, and the consequences couldn't be more real for the first female of Hispanic heritage in Texas to be sentenced to death. On...
