deaddrivefast

Do you know how to find an arrest warrant?

You might think that having a warrant for arrest out on you is amusing, especially if you can’t remember doing anything wrong to get one. The fact is that an arrest warrant could have a dramatic effect on your life if you choose to ignore it. It could cost you a lot of money in mounting fines. You could end up with a jail sentence and it won’t do your reputation a bit of good.

The problem is that you don’t always know when a warrant has been issued for you and if you don’t know about it then you can’t do anything about it can you. Luckily there is an easy way for you to make a regular check on your arrest warrant status. If you want to know more about this right away then scroll down to the bottom of this article.

What exactly is an arrest warrant?

Most people don’t realize this but there are in fact at least 2 kinds of warrant that can be placed on you. One is issued by the police and is called an Arrest Warrant. A court can issue a Bench Warrant for you. In both cases the result will be the same, sooner or later the cops will come looking for you. Find out more about the different types of warrant at http://www.howdo-i.com/backgroundcheck/whatisanarrestwarrant.php

Are you a criminal identity theft victim?

It seems that not a day goes past that you don’t hear some horror story about someone having their identity stolen and finding that all their cards have been maxed out or the’ve suddenly got loans to pay back that they never took out in the first place. Identity theft is a popular activity amongst thieves and if they commit a criminal offence while they are impersonating you then guess who gets the arrest warrant? You do. Imagine that - the police wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you off for an offence that you never committed in a place that you’ve never been to. Wouldn’t you like to know about these warrants so that you can do something about them before the cops start chasing you?

How to find your arrest warrants before the cops come for you

It’s never been easier to search for things online and it’s getting better every day as more and more information becomes available. The only problem you have is finding the information that’s available to you. You’re in luck though because there are now organizations devoted to scavenging every bit of information from publicly available databases and presenting them to you in a single easy to use web site.

Information about arrest warrants is just one of a multitude of things that you can find out about yourself or someone else and you can do it completely confidentially from these online public records databases. Scroll down to the bottom of this article and click the link to find out more and check your arrest warrants now.

Alternative ways of checking for arrest warrants

If you don’t want to use a public records database web site then there are other ways you can use to try and find your warrants. None of them are as effective as the dedicated web site but it’s a good idea to be aware of them.

You could do nothing and just wait for the cops to knock on your door. It’s an easy method but if it happens then you are likely to be dragged off there and then and not be given much opportunity to do anything about the warrant.

You can ask at the courthouse but you have to know which courthouse the warrant was issued from. This isn’t much good if the warrant was issued elsewhere which it might be if you are the victim of criminal identity theft.

One method I don’t recommend is asking a police officer. They have the ability to search for your warrants and if you have one they will let you know soon enough but they are also very likely to arrest you on the spot. This isn’t what you want. You want to know about the warrant before you get arrested and do something about it like talk to a lawyer.

Use an online public records database to Check for arrest warrants now You can do it in less than 5 minutes and it’s 100% confidential. Find out more about how to find an arrest warrant here http://www.howdo-i.com/backgroundcheck/howdoicheckforarrestwarrants.php

How has the American justice system transformed so amazingly over the last few decades? The answer could be a very complex problem to identify.

Are these changes due to an increasingly larger number of attorneys that have entered the marketplace? Is it because the burden of proof is so undeniably different in the two courts of the law? Or could it be because the capitalistic system that we live in is so dependent upon money that we as a society have to determine blame and assign a dollar amount to it?

Reading fiction books as well as watching network and cable television contributed to my thinking process. The American public including the media has a fixation with murder and death. If you and the vast majority of Americans are like me, then you probably haven’t come across murder and shootouts and street killings unless you are on the front line of law enforcement and need to work those crime scenes on a daily basis.

A couple of trials over the last ten to twelve years that garnered nationwide attention also started my mind thinking in overdrive. Both occurred in the Southern California area. They were the trials of O. J. Simpson and Robert Blake.

In each case the aforementioned parties were acquitted of the criminal charges that had been brought against them. Each escaped prosecution from murder on the criminal side of the law. However, on the civil side of the law each was held responsible for actions that contributed to the deaths of the victims. An arbitrary monetary amount was determined in civil court for those two people to pay to the relatives of the victims. When you stop and think about it, how bizarre can that be?

That came about because the burden of proof is so remarkably different in the two courts of law. On the criminal side the burden of proof is so extraordinarily difficult to prove without a shadow of a doubt. Because of that we have lawless individuals walking the streets of our society because they have attorneys that are adept at putting a seed of doubt in the minds of jurors. Only one juror and in some instances two, can hang a jury or force acquittal. On the civil side only a simple majority or in some instance two-thirds of the jurors can determine the monetary damages that the accused should pay.

Let’s take a second and examine the two sides of law and put the differences in layman’s terms. There has been a crime or action committed. In a criminal court of law the government brings the case against the accused. In a civil court of law the parties are two private individuals. In a criminal case the court must decide if the accused has violated a statute against society as a whole. In a civil case the court must determine if one person has caused harm against another.

To take this example further, the penalty in a criminal court of law is punishment or some sort of rehabilitation. In a civil court of law the remedy is monetary compensation for the loss that was sustained. To accomplish all of this the prosecutor in a criminal court must prove without a reasonable doubt that the accused has committed the crime. In a civil court the plaintiff merely has to prove that the preponderance of evidence supports the claim.

That offers some sort of explanation as to why the outcome in both the O. J. Simpson case and the Robert Blake case caused two glaringly different conclusions. In both cases the criminal prosecutors for the government could not prove without a reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crimes. However, in a civil court the attorneys for the plaintiffs were able to prove through a preponderance of evidence that the defendants were responsible for the deaths of the victims. Hence the court awarded monetary damages to be paid by the defendant to the relatives of the victims.

The crime of murder and the fixation on that crime by our society is one example of how the two courts operate differently. But let’s look at a different crime that occurs in our society. Let’s look at a case of fraud. This could also be explained as a subtle crime, commonly referred to as white-collar crime. It is so different from a murder or a bank robbery.

In a criminal court a crime such as fraud is also extremely difficult for prosecutors to prove. Plus the crime would have needed to be against the government before any charges were filed anyway. And even though the preponderance of evidence in theory works in a civil court, it is so difficult for a defrauded individual to come up with the resources to prove that a fraudulent action occurred.

Under that scenario the defrauded party, who more than likely was cleaned out financially must come up with the money to afford a legal team. In all likelihood they must also fund a team of private investigators. In the meantime, the person that committed the fraudulent act has the financial gains from the fraudulent act to successfully deter any efforts to collect damages. In that set of circumstances the deck of cards is stacked against the plaintiff that is filing suit against a defendant.

Take it one step further. Pick up an entertaining book titled “Lifetime Loser” by James Ross pertaining to this concept and see how it is applied to the game of golf … specifically nicknamed the “gentleman’s game.” It deals with the two separate courts of law and the crime of fraud.

The book might also serve as a notice that there are other crimes in our society that should have as much if not more attention given to them than just the act of murder. Fraud and white-collar crime can ruin lives just as easily. An aspect of the story examines one characters journey through the civil court system and the hurdles that it presents. See how the preponderance of evidence collected by a plaintiff can be difficult to bring forth. In many ways it can be as complex in civil court as the burden of proof is for a prosecutor in criminal court.

James Ross, a University of Missouri-Columbia graduate, went to a keyboard and let the words flow through his fingertips. Lifetime Loser is his first novel. Consumed by the writing bug, he is working on more books. Visit James Ross.

Keylogger is a program that monitors and records the keystrokes used on your computer. You may wonder why this information is important. It is important to both the legitimate and illegitimate users of computer because legitimate users, such as businesses or individuals can find out important information about where people have been on their computer. The term originated with the manual logging of each stroke on the keyboard of a computer so that mistakes could be undone. Now, keylogging has a variety of very positive uses, including tracking and storing key stroke information for individuals and businesses.

What are some reasons to use a keylogger program? Some reasons an individual or small business owner may wish to use a keylogger program is to answer these questions:

Is my spouse having an inappropriate relationship?

Is my significant other telling me truth about their activities?

Are websites being accessed by my significant other, employee or child that is unsafe or inappropriate?

Are my children safe on the computer?

Is my employee wasting time online or in chat sessions?

The majority of keylogger monitoring programs will register all computer activity, not just keystrokes. Among the many programs available, consumers may choose from services that include a service that records not only keystrokes but also documents, e-mails or instant messages and websites visited, sometimes even taking a “picture” of the site itself.

How do you choose a keylogger program? There are two questions you need to ask when choosing a keylogger program for personal or small business use. First, do you have physical access to the computer you want monitored? In many cases, the answer to this question is yes. You can access your family member or significant others computer at some point in time, as well as an employees. However, if you are “dating” it may be more difficult. Many keylogger programs require physical access but there are some programs that allow you to monitor remotely.

The second question is, “What is your purpose for using a keylogger program?” Is it to monitor a family member or employee? Is it to check on where your household members have been visiting on the web? Or primarily to monitor your child’s computer activity? Although there are many keylogger programs highly rated, for the purposes stated above, three programs are considered most effective.

WebWatcher is a winner of many editor’s choice awards. Unique features of WebWatcher include that you don’t need physical access to the computer being monitored. Monitoring is completed through the internet and information is posted to a private website for your review. Other features of WebWatcher include: some controls to limit options of computer users, monitoring of keystrokes, all typing, e-mails (in coming & outgoing), on line chats, instant messaging, tracking visited websites, and screenshots of sites visited. WebWatcher is one of the most comprehensive keylogger programs available is $97.00.

Spector Pro 6.0 is consistently described as reliable and easy to use. However, with Spector Pro 6.0 you do need to have physical access to the computer being monitored. If that is not a problem, Spector Pro is good choice. Many users praise the look, organization and user-friendly interface of this one. One of the unique features of Spector Pro is the ability to monitor peer-to-peer activity. By monitoring this type of activity, activities such as illegal downloads of music or movies can be detected and result in criminal charges or lawsuits. As a result, parents are very interested in finding software that will stop this activity. SpectorPro records and monitors: all keystrokes, sent and received e-mails, several popular instant message programs, website history, peer to peer activity and also takes screenshots. It is available for a one time price of $99.99

SpyAgent is a third very desirable keylogger program. One unique aspect of this program is the ability to have many different settings and lots of options. SpyAgent is the most customizable keylogger program available. However, if you do not have physical access to the computer being monitored, SpyAgent can only access information via e-mail. SpyAgent monitors: all keystrokes typed, e-mails, instant messaging, web site history, clipboard log, and takes screenshots. The cost of SpyAgent is $65.00.

Keylogger programs are different from antivirus, anti spyware and adware blocker programs, not only do they monitor different types of computer activity, but they are also available for a one time fee. You use them for as long as you can, once you have paid the fee and you can use it on multiple computers. The ability to monitor computer activity is important to many as a parent, partner or employer. This software can provide parents with peace of mind, protect employers from being taken advantage of by employees and can settle many character questions for those in relationships.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

If you have been injured at work in Pennsylvania, you do not have to treat with a company or designated doctor unless a list of medical providers is given to you by your employer or its insurance company, according to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. Looking at it the opposite way, you must treat with a company doctor (or at least with a designated facility), only if your employer or its insurance copmany has provided you with a list of at least six healthcare providers. Of course, it’s not easy to know if the least is correct. That’s why you should contact attorney Jack B. Katz, former chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section, who will review the information you have received and provide legal advice.

If a proper list of six places was not provided at your workplace, then you are immediately free to treat with a physician of your own choosing -no matter what the employer tells you or hands you. If a proper list is provided, then you need to treat with at least one of these providers for 90 days from the first date of treatment. If a specialist is needed and one is not on the posted list, a injured worker may treat with a doctor of his own choosing. The employer will be responsible for the bill. (This includes chiropractor, if needed, and none is posted.)

What does this all really mean? If an employee fails to treat with a designated provider for the first 90 days, the employer does not have to pay for the medical treatment received during that time only - that is all that the above means! It does not mean that the claim itself will be denied or that you will not receive any weekly benefits. In other words, don’t automatically believe what your employer or its insurance company says. They may not be telling you the truth, or may not be telling you the whole truth.

Since the company can have control of treatment for 90 days -you may want -at least once - to choose to be examined by a doctor in whom you have confidence and who will look after your best interest. This is true even if you have to pay for the treatment yourself. If not, after the 90 days, you won’t have a doctor who can fully document and confirm your injury to the insurance company, let alone start to cure you! (You should always notify your employer of the name and address of your treating physician within 5 days of you initial treatment.)

After 90 days, you absolutely should treat with your own doctors. The employer is then entitled only to periodic examinations but not to have you treat with their doctors. (The employer’s or insurance company’s doctors are not being paid by you and may be under pressure to get you back to work before you are really ready.)

Finally, if surgery is prescribed by a company-designated doctor, employees may get a second opinion by a doctor of their choice -paid for by the employer.

This handy Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law tip is provided by the Philadelphia workers’ compensation law office of Attorney Jack B. Katz, Law Offices of Jack B. Katz, 1213 Vine Street Philadelphia, PA 19107, www.jackbkatz.com, Email jbk@jackbkatz.com.

Philadelphia workers compensation attorney Jack B. Katz, and the Law Offices of Jack B. Katz have been representing injured workers for more than two decades. Jack Katz concentrates his practice in workers compensation matters.

Intelius is a data gathering information service available for individuals and businesses. Individuals may search for information on themselves or anyone else based on personal information such as name, address and telephone number or even the email address. Social security number searches are also available. Results vary, but reports may include information regarding credit report, neighborhoods, phone records and address history as part of the search result options.

Protection services are also offered by Intelius. These services include: identity theft and credit reporting services, criminal and sex offender search results and a reverse cell phone call directory. The identity theft protection service is used to create a identity profile, obtain credit information, create fraud alerts and warning system to notify you in case of any of your information stated in the profile are being used to obtain credit in the event identity theft occurs it also provides a $25,000 insurance policy to assist you with recovery related issues.

The Intelius business services product provides assistance to business, apartment owners and landlords, just to name a few. Prospective landlords and businesses may perform background and criminal checks on applications for employment or prospective tenants. In addition to these business services, Intelius also offers research, news, and legal information to businesses about safe hiring practices. Customized searches may be created based on a business need or applicant qualifications. Search results may be limited to specific criteria or include a complete background and credit check.

The price for these services varies. Some sample prices are $4.95 for a cell phone record, $44.99 for a full background check on an individual, a statewide employment check is $29.95 and a nationwide employment check is $59.95. Club members get discounts on a variety of products, and to become a member it is $9.95.

Support services include telephone, email messages from the Intelius site, and a Frequently Asked Questions page within the site.

Many people may be frightened by the idea of this much of their personal and financial information all in one spot available to anyone who can complete a search as well as pay the cost of the search. My own first response was “How can I get removed from this service?” Intelius does provide the following “opt out” information and instructions:

“As a courtesy we can ‘opt out’ your specific information from the Intelius People Search service. What this means is that your name as it appears in a particular record and the associated identifying information such as your address and phone number will be suppressed if you request this in the manner described below. However, please note that any time your identifying information appears in a public record in a manner which is different from the record you opted out; it will again appear in our system. For example, if your address or area code changes your new information will again appear unless you opt out the new record. There also are many other public records search services which are not owned by Intelius and your request that we opt out your information will not prevent your information from appearing on these other services. To opt out your publicly available information from being obtained by someone using our People Search service, fax or mail your name and address as it appears on our website or send us a copy of the page from our website that includes your information.”

Criticism of the service includes the fact that there is too much information available, and with this you could literally put a $50.00 investment into a purchase which results in information that assists an identity theft crime. As a result the thief may either sell the information or use it for their own purposes to get jobs, medical care, buy a house and obtain credit cards.

One criticism is that the information is often out dated. However, unfortunately, the information is only as good and timely as the databases it is “harvested” from. Many government agencies and services are “behind the times” when it comes to updating their databases with current information and as result, the search results may not be complete.

Another criticism of this product would be that this information could be sold to marketing companies. As a result, mass marketing companies could then flood consumers with annoying purchase offers via telephone and mail. These offers, in addition to being a waste of time and paper are also annoying and time consuming to be removed from. The offers may also increase a consumer’s chances of becoming a victim of identity theft and credit card fraud.

But before the “knee jerk” reaction to the service is completed you need to examine the benefits of this type of information gathering and production service. For example, I have a house for rent; this system allows me to do a background check on my potential tenant. I can find out if they have been convicted of any crimes or if they have a history of bad credit. Both of them would make this personal an undesirable tenant.

Another example of beneficial everyday use for the average individual would be background reports for that new romantic interest. With the use of the internet, dating services, and chat rooms, to meet friends and romantic partners, wouldn’t it be nice to find out prior to any mistakes were made if your potential romantic interest is truthful. For example, they may convicted of a crime (that you may not be willing to consider) or still be married. These are definitely things you should know in advance of pursuing the relationship any further.

It is also beneficial to small businesses; that may need, but can’t afford the costs of the more expensive background and criminal check services. This provides them with a cost effective method of researching potential employees.

Intelius Awards:

2006 Ernst and Young finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year

2006 Stevie Award for Best New Company

2007 CODiE Award finalist for Best Online Consumer Information Service

2007 Stevie Award finalist for Most Innovative Company

In addition to these awards, testimonials by clients and businesses are available regarding the effectiveness of the Intelius products. Yes, the gathering of this information all in one place may be frightening, but as scary as it sounds, the fact remains, the information is out there and Intelius is just gathering it in one place. Individuals wanting to research a prospective tenant or relationship, or family members searching for a long lost family member or friend may argue that this type of service and resource is invaluable to them in their efforts to provide for a safe working environment or find their biological parents. An enterprising identity thief can find out much of the same information on their own and without this service many businesses and individuals may be without a valuable resource.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

Those who have been injured in an accident or by a physician know that getting a lawyer as soon as possible is very important. There are many different types of lawyers, however it is critical that you seek out the services of a personal injury lawyer.

A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who handles no other type of case but personal injury. They are up to date on the laws regarding personal injury and medical malpractice and can represent your best interests and protect your rights.

When you have been in an accident it can be devastating. If the injury is due to medical malpractice it can be even more devastating. The pain and suffering, loss of wages, can be overwhelming. Rehabilitation can be almost as painful as the accident itself. This is when a personal injury attorney can act on your behalf and make sure that all of the costs related to the accident are covered.

As with any other state in the country, Louisiana has their own laws regarding accident and personal injury, and although there are many types of accidents, Personal injury lawyers in Louisiana are highly trained professionals who fight for everything their clients deserve.

After an accident, it can be confusing for the victim. The pain and confusion from the accident, worrying about the enormous medical bill and loss from work can be overwhelming for anyone. A personal injury lawyer will act in the best interest of the victim so all that is needed is to concentrate on recovering.

Personal injury lawyers in Louisiana work on a contingency basis. This means that the victim of the accident does not have to pay any up front fees, nor do they have to worry about any medical bills. All costs will be paid by the insurance company or settlement from a lawsuit. In most cases, a personal injury lawyer can speak to the hospital and all medical personnel involved and arrange payment when a settlement is reached. The lawyer also will not ask for any fees, however when a settlement is reached, they will require at least one third of the settlement amount.

Personal injury lawyers can be found in many different ways. Whether you let your fingers do the walking or you go online to find a personal injury lawyer, it is crucial that you find one as soon as possible. It is equally important that you make sure that the lawyer is reputable and has more wins then losses. This can be done very easily by calling local government agencies.

Hiring a good personal injury lawyer may take a little time, and it is important that you do not jump at the first lawyer. It is necessary to speak with several lawyers before you decide on one. The lawyer that you choose needs to have your best interest in mind and protect you. When you have been injured in an accident, you do have rights, a good personal injury lawyer will protect those rights and fight to get you everything that you deserve.

Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group marketing company. Peter provides marketing services for law firms, including Louisiana personal injury lawyers.

It has been estimated that around 2.5 million people become involved in personal injury accidents every year, resulting in accidental injury. The injuries that are sustained from accidents may result in a loss of income, independence and severe lifestyle changes.

With accidental injury you are suffering due to the negligence of another person. You could be suffering injury due to a number of accidents including road traffic accidents, slip, trips and falls and accidents in public places as well as aspects such as medical negligence.

Under UK law the liable party of an accident must compensate the injured person. The compensation that is awarded in successful cases will be granted to cover the initial injuries sustained as well as any loss of earning or changes to lifestyle that need to be carried out; however it has been said that only 31% of people who suffer accidents actually claim for compensation. It should be noted that it is your civil and legal right to claim for compensation after an accident that wasn’t your fault.

Accidents can happen regardless of where you are in the UK. Accidents happen daily across cities, towns and villages in the UK. Whatever part of the UK you live in whether it is London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Wolverhampton or Cardiff you could be left facing a personal injury accident and if this sadly happens to you whether you are a resident or a visitor of the city, town or village you will want to find the best personal injury solicitor for your compensation needs.

What many people don’t realise when they are looking for a personal injury solicitor is that you don’t have to merely use a solicitor just because they are based in your home town; you can use a personal injury solicitor from anywhere across the UK. The main thing when it comes to choosing your personal injury solicitor is picking one who is right for you and who will provide you with the right help and advice to make your claim a success.

With the technology of the internet all manor of businesses can be conducted all over the world. There are no large forms to fill in and the case can be dealt with just as efficiently as a solicitor in your town. So before you decide to go with a solicitor who is most local to you have a look around for one who will work best for you.

As most of your case can be dealt with over the phone and via email you could choose a personal injury solicitor in London even if you lived in Scotland. It really is that simple. Just ensure that when you are choosing the right team to take care of your case that they are highly qualified, that they have previous experience in dealing with a whole manner of cases and that they will provide you will all the help and assistance that you will need throughout your case.

For more information contact a dedicated team of lawyers today and find out if you have a chance at a successful compensation claim.

Helen is the web master of Accident Consult, specialist in all aspects of No Win No Fee Claims.

Whiplash is a medical condition that occurs most frequently after a road traffic accident. The onset of whiplash arises when the soft tissue in the spine is stretched and strained after the body is thrown in a sudden and forceful jerk.

Whiplash is an example of a condition that is hard to diagnose. This is because there are no tests that can done to confirm that you are suffering; you can’t have a blood test or an x-ray that will show that the soft tissue has been stretched; so how is whiplash diagnosed? Whiplash is identified by a doctor assessing the background of the injury and by you describing the symptoms that you are suffering from; however a doctor or hospital should be altered if a patient experiences memory loss or has periods of unconsciousness after being involved in an accident that has left them suffering from whiplash. Also if a person starts to experience pains in the back of the head, pins and needles in the shoulders and arms or notices a sensation of heaviness in the arms. If you are suffering from whiplash and start to experience any of these things it is highly important that you go and see your doctor or go to the hospital.

The most common complaints that occur surrounding headaches and stiffness in the neck as well as the back of the head. The symptoms that occur usually appear within the first couple of days after the accidents and they usually pass after a few days or weeks. To aid your recovery and to prevent your injury getting worse you should try and apply an ice pack to your neck within the first 24 hours of the accident happening. This will help to reduce the inflammation. It is also advised that you try and keep active as movement will help to stop your neck from becoming stiff and it will help you return to your normal routine quicker; however you are advised to avoid certain physical activities that may aggravate the injury. People who stay active and exercise their necks, despite the pain, usually recover more quickly.

If you are in a line of slow moving traffic and you are hit from behind you can’t possibly get whiplash, right? Wrong, it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you were travelling when an accident occurred. Whiplash can occur even if your car was only travelling a few miles per hour. Many people only associate whiplash with vehicles that were travelling at high speed when in fact whiplash injuries are caused quite frequently by vehicles that are travelling at low speeds.

If you have suffered whiplash after a road traffic accident that was caused through no fault of your own then you could put in a claim for compensation. You should be warned however that whiplash cases are sometimes hard to win, which is why it is important that you speak to a personal injury solicitor who will asses your case to see if you are entitled to put in a claim for compensation.

Helen is the web master of Accident Consult specialists in No Win No Fee Accident Claims, and Whiplash Compensation Claims.

Different countries have different legal punishments for those producing counterfeit money and the punishments are quite tough. The reason why the punishments are harsh is because counterfeit money reduces the value of actual money and causes inflation due to the increase of money being circulated throughout the economy. What this is is an artificial increase in the amount of money in the money supply that is not authorized. This severely devalues the currency and results in losses that can amount to millions of dollars each year.

The impact is so severe that, unfortunately, the companies that receive counterfeit money are not reimbursed for the fake bills, which force them to raise their prices on their products. Even in countries where their paper money makes up just a fraction of their total circulation of money, the effects of the counterfeiting may be minimal. However, the confidence in their currency may decrease significantly.

Beginning in 1996, the United States began making changes in the design of the $100 bill to keep it from being counterfeited. Other bills followed suit for 10 years after the initial change. The changes occurred as follows:

• 1997 the $50 bill

• 1998 the $20 bill

• 2000 the $10 and the $5 bill

• 2003 the $20 bill

However in 2004, the $50 bill had to be redesigned again as did the $10 bill in 2006. Fortunately, the $1 and $2 bills are seen to be not worth it for counterfeiters due to their low value although it is not out of the question for one of these bills to be reproduced.

Penalties by country

Every country has its own set of penalties for counterfeiters. Some just have to pay fines, some just serve time in jail, and then there are those who must serve time in jail in addition to paying fines for their crime. In the United States, counterfeiting is a federal felony that involves the Secret Service. When found guilty of this crime, the penalty is 15 years in prison as well as seizure of the property that was used in the creation of the counterfeit bills. Restitution will most likely have to be paid on top of a number of fines.

Another country that imposes a 15 year sentence is South Africa. They too have absolutely no tolerance for counterfeiters and will place them in prison in a heartbeat because of the adverse effects counterfeiting has on the economy.

As for Europe’s punishment for counterfeiting the Euro, offenders risk four years in jail and fines that could equal up to $120,000. If the crime is an organized crime, then the fines can be up to $360,000. This penalty seems considerably less than that of the United States and South Africa, but the fines may be considered punishment enough although the fines in the United States are determined based on severity of the crime.

In Canada, if someone is simply found holding a counterfeit bill, the penalty is up to 14 years in prison. Australia has a penalty of $5,000 for individuals, $10,000 for corporations and up to 2 years in prison in addition to the fines.

Counterfeiting bills poses a problem all over the world and it is worse in some places than others. It should be known that the bills can be traced to their maker and, once caught, those who produced the bills face severe punishment. It is common for the offenders to think they will never be punished for their crime, but there are ways in which they can and will be tracked down and made to pay for these crimes they commit against the economies of the world.

When traveling is highly recommended to carry counterfeit money detectors such as counterfeit money pens with you all the time to guard against the growing problems of currency counterfeiting.

How has the American justice system transformed so amazingly over the last few decades? The answer could be a very complex problem to identify.

Are these changes due to an increasingly larger number of attorneys that have entered the marketplace? Is it because the burden of proof is so undeniably different in the two courts of the law? Or could it be because the capitalistic system that we live in is so dependent upon money that we as a society have to determine blame and assign a dollar amount to it?

Reading fiction books as well as watching network and cable television contributed to my thinking process. The American public including the media has a fixation with murder and death. If you and the vast majority of Americans are like me, then you probably haven’t come across murder and shootouts and street killings unless you are on the front line of law enforcement and need to work those crime scenes on a daily basis.

A couple of trials over the last ten to twelve years that garnered nationwide attention also started my mind thinking in overdrive. Both occurred in the Southern California area. They were the trials of O. J. Simpson and Robert Blake.

In each case the aforementioned parties were acquitted of the criminal charges that had been brought against them. Each escaped prosecution from murder on the criminal side of the law. However, on the civil side of the law each was held responsible for actions that contributed to the deaths of the victims. An arbitrary monetary amount was determined in civil court for those two people to pay to the relatives of the victims. When you stop and think about it, how bizarre can that be?

That came about because the burden of proof is so remarkably different in the two courts of law. On the criminal side the burden of proof is so extraordinarily difficult to prove without a shadow of a doubt. Because of that we have lawless individuals walking the streets of our society because they have attorneys that are adept at putting a seed of doubt in the minds of jurors. Only one juror and in some instances two, can hang a jury or force acquittal. On the civil side only a simple majority or in some instance two-thirds of the jurors can determine the monetary damages that the accused should pay.

Let’s take a second and examine the two sides of law and put the differences in layman’s terms. There has been a crime or action committed. In a criminal court of law the government brings the case against the accused. In a civil court of law the parties are two private individuals. In a criminal case the court must decide if the accused has violated a statute against society as a whole. In a civil case the court must determine if one person has caused harm against another.

To take this example further, the penalty in a criminal court of law is punishment or some sort of rehabilitation. In a civil court of law the remedy is monetary compensation for the loss that was sustained. To accomplish all of this the prosecutor in a criminal court must prove without a reasonable doubt that the accused has committed the crime. In a civil court the plaintiff merely has to prove that the preponderance of evidence supports the claim.

That offers some sort of explanation as to why the outcome in both the O. J. Simpson case and the Robert Blake case caused two glaringly different conclusions. In both cases the criminal prosecutors for the government could not prove without a reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crimes. However, in a civil court the attorneys for the plaintiffs were able to prove through a preponderance of evidence that the defendants were responsible for the deaths of the victims. Hence the court awarded monetary damages to be paid by the defendant to the relatives of the victims.

The crime of murder and the fixation on that crime by our society is one example of how the two courts operate differently. But let’s look at a different crime that occurs in our society. Let’s look at a case of fraud. This could also be explained as a subtle crime, commonly referred to as white-collar crime. It is so different from a murder or a bank robbery.

In a criminal court a crime such as fraud is also extremely difficult for prosecutors to prove. Plus the crime would have needed to be against the government before any charges were filed anyway. And even though the preponderance of evidence in theory works in a civil court, it is so difficult for a defrauded individual to come up with the resources to prove that a fraudulent action occurred.

Under that scenario the defrauded party, who more than likely was cleaned out financially must come up with the money to afford a legal team. In all likelihood they must also fund a team of private investigators. In the meantime, the person that committed the fraudulent act has the financial gains from the fraudulent act to successfully deter any efforts to collect damages. In that set of circumstances the deck of cards is stacked against the plaintiff that is filing suit against a defendant.

Take it one step further. Pick up an entertaining book titled “Lifetime Loser” by James Ross pertaining to this concept and see how it is applied to the game of golf … specifically nicknamed the “gentleman’s game.” It deals with the two separate courts of law and the crime of fraud.

The book might also serve as a notice that there are other crimes in our society that should have as much if not more attention given to them than just the act of murder. Fraud and white-collar crime can ruin lives just as easily. An aspect of the story examines one characters journey through the civil court system and the hurdles that it presents. See how the preponderance of evidence collected by a plaintiff can be difficult to bring forth. In many ways it can be as complex in civil court as the burden of proof is for a prosecutor in criminal court.

Jim Ross, a University of Missouri-Columbia graduate went to a keyboard and let the words flow through his fingertips. Lifetime Loser is his first novel. Creative energies will dictate whether or not another story is to be told. Visit Lifetime Loser.