Families and couples are cooped up indoors due to stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a slowdown in court operations, resources are still available for reporting incidents, and law enforcement officials are still investigating and charging individuals accused of perpetrating abuse. Pandemic stats Police in New York City say that since March, reports of…

You see it on television all the time. A cop turns to a victim and says, “Would you like to press charges?” The victim stares grimly ahead, and then gives a headshake. “No. Not this time. Thank you, officer.” Does this ever happen in real life? Can victims really drop charges? What does it mean…

As teleworking has become commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to platforms like Skype and Zoom for online meetings and hangouts. While they’re convenient, these platforms can be hacked like any other website, and a new term has been coined to describe the occurrence: “Zoombombing.”  What is “Zoombombing”? “Zoombombing” is when someone hacks…

Courts are operating at limited capacity as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, but some defense attorneys and their clients are arguing that the risk of contracting the disease should be cause for release. Could this pandemic set any new legal precedents? And what happens if an individual arrested for a crime knowingly has the virus and…

As of this writing protests have erupted nationwide in response to the murder of George Floyd. Unfortunately your chances of being arrested if you choose to participate in one of these protests could be relatively high, whether you’re technically breaking the law or not. Still, following the law is your first defense. Try to remain…

As the COVID-19 outbreak leaves New York City at a standstill, officials must consider another population: those housed behind bars in jails and prisons. Jails are not great environments for containing an outbreak – they are crowded and don’t allow for social distancing, and facilities often take a very minimal approach when it comes to…