Alcohol is a common source of trouble for teens. Underage drinking is fairly typical in the United States, but it can result in significant criminal charges and even life-threatening problems. For young adults, unintentional injuries are the most common cause of death, with the majority of those injuries related to car accidents. When you add alcohol use into the mix, the likelihood of a vehicle crash is even higher. This is why the laws pertaining to underage drinking and alcohol possession are so strict and carry such serious consequences. Teens and underage young adults can face severe punishments for violating certain alcohol-related offenses, including driving under the influence (DUI). 

Underage Drinking

You must be 21 or older to legally purchase or consume alcohol in the United States. If you are under the age of 21, you are not permitted to consume alcohol, or you could be charged with underage drinking. If you are convicted of underage drinking, you face a six-month driver's license suspension, unless you were sentenced to court supervision, in which case you face a three-month driver’s license suspension. A second conviction may result in a one-year suspension, and further convictions can result in a revocation.

In the past couple of years, hate crimes have become more prevalent and widely reported in the United States, especially in Illinois. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the country as a whole saw a slight drop in the number of hate crimes committed in 2018. Illinois, however, saw a 32 percent increase in hate crimes. A majority of these hate crimes were influenced by the race and sexual orientation of the victims, while religion-based hate crimes saw a slight decrease. Across the United States, nearly half of the 7,120 hate crimes were perpetrated against African Americans. One recent incident in DuPage County involved a race-based hate crime perpetrated by a teenager.

Teen Places Ad on Craigslist for Black Classmate

A Naperville teenager has been charged with a hate crime after he posted an inappropriate ad on Craigslist offering a fellow classmate up for sale. According to investigating officials, the ad, which has since been taken down, bore the title, “Slave for sale” and was followed by a racial slur and also included a photo of a black classmate. Officials announced Wednesday that the 14-year-old boy faced two counts of a hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct for the incident. The school district also took action and punished the boy with two days of suspension, which the victim’s mother chastised as being too lenient. 

With the rise of technology, internet-based crimes have become more common in our society. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, nearly 300,000 complaints were made concerning internet crime in 2017. Illinois ranked number seven on the list of states with the most internet crime incidences. The state of Illinois made changes to the Cyberstalking section of the Criminal Code of 2012, which went into effect at the beginning of 2018.

What Is Cyberstalking?

According to Illinois law, cyberstalking takes places when a person uses electronic communication to cause another person to fear for their safety or suffer emotional distress. The law also says that cyberstalking is committed if a person uses electronic communication to harass another person on two or more occasions and threatens bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement or restraint of the person or a family member of the person.

The cost of a DUI arrest often begins even before the first court date for the criminal charge. If a person fails sobriety testing or refuses to submit to testing during an arrest, there is an automatic suspension of driving privileges. A first-time offender who has failed chemical testing faces a six-month suspension and a refusal to submit to testing results in an automatic 12-month driving suspension. Either of these can cause serious hardship for those who rely on driving as their transportation to and from work and other daily activities.

First-time DUI offenders in Illinois who are eligible for a Monitoring Device Driving Permit (MDDP) can opt to register for a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID). If approved, the BAIID is installed and monitored by the Secretary of State’s office and will provide temporary driving relief during the suspended period.

By acquiring both a MDDP and BAIID, the registrant is allowed to drive at any time as long as it is in the vehicle with the installed equipment. Participants in the program are subject to average monthly fees of over one hundred dollars made payable to both the BAIID vendor and the Secretary of State’s Office. The following list of vendors are certified by the state of Illinois:

An Illinois judge recently ruled on the constitutionality of the state’s law against hazing. According to the Illinois Hazing Act, it is illegal for an official group that is associated with any educational institute (i.e. school sports teams, fraternities, sororities, etc.) to require a student to engage in activity that is not authorized by the school, and results in injury to the student, in order for the student to be admitted into the group.

The criminal classification for hazing is a Class A misdemeanor and a conviction could mean up to one year in jail and fine of $2500. If the act of hazing results in severe bodily injury or death, then the criminal classification is a Class 4 felony, with convictions carrying prison terms of one to three years and a fine of up to $25,000. An extended Class 4 felony conviction carries a prison sentence of three to six years.

Activities that fall under the category of hazing include: