Approximately one-third of all Americans are arrested for a crime before they reach the age of 23. This fact confirms a truth known to any New Jersey criminal defense attorney: the problem of the over-criminalization of American society is completely out of hand.
Data showing these startling arrest figures comes from a study that is believed to be the first since the 1960s to compare arrest rates of adults and young adults. The study found that 30.2 percent of 23-year-old adults reported that they had been arrested for a crime other than a traffic violation. In 1965, when the last such study was conducted, the percentage of 23-year-old adults who had been arrested was 22 percent.
The study did not break down the number of arrests based on the type of crime. However, New Jersey criminal defense attorneys believe that it is likely that the spike in the number of persons arrested is due to the large number of arrests for drug crimes every year. That number has simply skyrocketed since 1965, when the last study was conducted.
These high rates of arrests are even more noteworthy when you consider the number of employers choosing to perform criminal screening checks of potential hires these days. Fortunately, if you have been convicted of certain crimes, you can get your record expunged if you meet the eligibility criteria.
The New Jersey criminal defense lawyers at Helmer Paul Conley and Kasselman represent persons who have been charged with DUI, murder, fraud, assault, drug crimes, sex crimes and other crimes across New Jersey.
