There is a persistent claim for decades, that people unwittingly commit as many as three felony crimes per day. Whether this is true or not, is impossible to determine with precision.
There is no rigorous study showing that the average American actually commits three felonies per day.The entire idea behind this is that prosecutors can pick and choose when to investigate and charge for crimes, meaning that no one could know how many actual crimes an average person commits. The argument is that anyone can be targeted if the government chooses to investigate for any number of reasons.
The United States Code and the Code of Federal Regulations are extremely detailed. Some language can be vague, which could lead federal and/or state prosecutors to argue that behavior that an ordinary professional American wouldn’t think twice about is actually a federal crime. For example, sharing your Netflix password could, theoretically, violate federal law.
Moreover, due to the number of crimes and regulations, prosecutors can invoke serious crimes to gain leverage in plea bargaining or gain cooperation in federal investigation. But since some of these purported crimes would be committed without knowledge, does it violate due process? Can Americans reasonably be expected to follow all federal law when it is so expansive? Critics argue that some statutes are drafted broadly and rely on undefined terms, while others downplay or soften intent requirements, making it easier to charge for marginal conduct.
Critics of over criminalization and the leverage federal prosecutors have over criminal defendants are certainly widespread and supportable positions to take. It is also true that federal criminal laws and regulations have expanded far beyond the traditional core of criminal law most of us think of, such as burglary, kidnapping, or embezzlement. Federal law includes thousands of technical, regulatory, and record‑keeping offenses. Even if you may not be committing three felonies per day, U.S. criminal law is broad enough that ordinary conduct can sometimes be framed as a crime.
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a criminal allegation, immediately contact a Seattle Criminal Attorney. A Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney is not going to judge you and understands that everyone makes mistakes. Hiring a Seattle Criminal Lawyer to help can – at a minimum – reduce penalties and can help direct people on how to best deal with their DUI charge, and some times even get them dismissed. So, it should go without saying that someone cited for a DUI should hire a qualified Seattle DUI Lawyer as soon as possible. DUI charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone charged with a DUI in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle DUI Lawyer. SQ Attorneys can be reached at (425) 359-3791 and/or (206) 441-0900.