State Specific - CT - In order to make an arrest, the police need to follow a specific protocol. They can’t just do whatever they want to do and arrest you. There are many elements involved in a lawful arrest, including cause, an arrest warrant, and the way in which the police have to act. If the arresting officer does not follow protocol, your arrest might not be lawful.

On this page, Daniel Lane further discusses what it takes to make a lawful arrest and explain arrest warrants. You can also learn what you should do if you think that your arrest was not lawful.

State Specific - CT - Explains the circumstances under which criminal records qualify for erasure and/or "expungement pardons" in the State of CT.

State Specific - NY - Explains the circumstances under which arrest and criminal convictions records qualify can be sealed in the State of NY.

State Specific - NY - An article that describes some of things you should know about any lawyer you are considering hiring.

State Specific - CT - In Connecticut, your criminal records can be erased or expunged under the circumstances described here. 

Restitution is a sum of money you are ordered to pay to compensate the victim of your crime for their loss or injury. When you commit a crime, you not only harm the victim but the community as well. You have an obligation to repair the harm created by your actions.
One way to repair the harm is to pay back your victim for any out of pocket financial losses they suffered
because of your behavior. These financial losses may include property loss, medical bills, home and car
repairs, insurance deductibles, etc. Paying restitution is a way of taking responsibility for your actions and trying to make things right.

Restitution imposed as part of a criminal sentence has become a core component of criminal punishment. Both the manner in which courts impose restitution and the implications of failing to pay criminal restitution illustrate restitution’s increasingly punitive character.

“Restitution” is defined as the payment made by a convicted criminal offender to a crime victim to pay for the victim’s losses due to the crime.

Every state has established a procedure for crime victims to request and receive restitution payments. Legally speaking, however, restitution is not quite the same thing as “compensation.”

Restitution holds offenders partially or fully accountable for the financial losses suffered by the victims of their crimes. Restitution is typically ordered in both juvenile and criminal courts to compensate victims for out-of-pocket expenses that are the direct result of a crime. Most often, it is ordered in cases of property crime such as a home burglary involving stolen or damaged property or the theft of goods from a retail store. It may also be applied to reimburse victims of violent crime for current and future expenses related to their physical and mental health recovery and to make up for loss of support for survivors of homicide victims. Other types of cases in which restitution is commonly ordered are theft of services (e.g. cab or restaurant bills), fraud, forgery, and violation of vehicle and traffic laws. Restitution is not a punishment or an alternative to fines, sanctions, or interventions with the offender. It is a debt owed to the victim. Recently, judges have also begun to order “community restitution,” in which convicted or adjudicated  offenders “pay back” the community through service.

Victims suffer staggering economic costs as a result of crime. The tangible cost of crime, including medical expenses, lost earnings, and public victim assistance costs, is an estimated $105 billion a year. Crime victim compensation programs reimburse victims for part of this loss. During fiscal year 1998, state compensation programs paid close to $250 million to victims of violent crime.2 However, most of the costs of crime are absorbed by the victims and victim service providers.
Restitution laws are designed to shift the burden. As one legislature noted, “It is the purpose of [restitution law] to encourage the compensation of victims by the person most responsible for the loss incurred by the victim, the offender.”