Prescott Valley Criminal Law Blog

Many times, a person in Arizona who was convicted of a crime and has served their sentence may find that their criminal record is making it difficult for them to find housing and employment, as well as affecting other rights they may have. This is because the person's arrest is showing up when landlords, employers and others perform a background check on the person. Therefore, Arizonans in such situations may wish to have their convictions "set-aside."

A set-aside is not exactly the same as having a criminal record expunged, as it would be in other states. A set-aside does not erase the arrest entirely. Instead, the criminal record will note that there wasn't a conviction.

The onset of fall means football games and high schoolers all over Prescott Valley queuing up for tailgate parties before their weekly games. Unfortunately, many tailgate parties involve underage drinking.

One study done at the University of Minnesota (UM) indicated that over 48 percent of those attending sporting events drink alcohol before or during the game or match. This applies across the board, but underage college and high school students are increasingly among the drinkers at these festivities.

Illegal drugs can enter the United States in a variety of ways. One way is for people to carry illegal drugs in backpacks across our nation's border. Recently, the U.S. government has significantly changed the way such cases will be prosecuted.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has instituted a policy change in which "marijuana backpackers" in Arizona will now be criminally charged not just for possessing drugs, but also for unlawfully crossing the border between the United States and Mexico. This has the potential to affect hundreds of individuals who are placed under arrest each year. The change in policy was reportedly due to the zero-tolerance policy the U.S. Department of Justice implemented earlier this year for unlawful border crossing.

Law enforcement officials in Arizona will be on the lookout for those who they think are committing a sex crime. Being labeled a "prostitute" or being accused of patronizing a prostitute can have a serious effect on a person's personal and professional life. Therefore, it is important to know what constitutes the crime of prostitution in Arizona.

Under Arizona law, prostitution occurs when someone engages in sexual conduct, offers to engage in sexual conduct or agrees to engage in sexual conduct in exchange for a fee or other items of value. To prove the crime of prosecution was committed, the prosecution must prove three elements. First, there must be an offer to pay a fee or give someone an item of value. This payment must be intended to be in exchange for sexual conduct. Then, a substantial act in accordance to the offer must have been committed. Therefore, even if sexual conduct never actually occurred, if an act was taken in furtherance of the offer, a person could be charged with prostitution.