GUN POSSESSION IN ILLINOIS: WHO CAN HAVE THEM, WHO CAN’T, & WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO (Illegally) Illinois is perhaps the most restrictive state in the country when it comes to gun rights and illegal firearm possession. Unlike some states, you cannot buy or carry a firearm in public without obtaining specific licenses issued by […]
The current United States Attorney General, a fellow Chicagoan, visited home last month, but it wasn’t to see old friends. Merrick Garland, the 86th Attorney General, was here to help the city stop the startling rise in gun violence this year. Turn on the local or national news each week and there will inevitably be […]
Since the beginning of 2020, it’s been happening all over the city, to all types of Chicagoans, and in all types of ways: Carjacking. Legally known under the Illinois Criminal Code as vehicular hijacking and vehicular invasion. In 2020, there were more than 1,462 carjackings, up from 609 in 2019. That’s a 135% increase in […]
carjacking, stolen cars
People who are considering filing for a Governor’s Pardon, there has arguably never been a better time. This reformative justice environment has beneficially affected pardons. For people considering filing for a Governor’s Pardon, there has arguably never been a better time. Criminal justice reform is sweeping the nation. This movement includes unprecedented support for those […]
Steven Watkins (not real name) was charged with Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a felon. The Chicago Police pulled him over for a questionable traffic violation. Steven was a passenger in the vehicle. After claiming the car smelled like cannabis, officers got everyone out of the vehicle. Steven, the driver, and the backseat […]
Jason Wilkin (not real name) had an extremely troubled relationship with his stepfather. Since his high school years, Jason’s stepfather constantly harassed and abused him. During the holidays, he went to see his mother and a fight broke out between Jason and his stepfather. Jason’s stepfather unprovoked punched Jason in the face, resulting in Jason […]
CHICAGO CRIME: BY THE NUMBERS 2020/PANDEMIC EDITION COVID-19 affected all areas of life in 2020. How did the coronavirus affect the Cook County criminal justice system? Outside of mandatory zoom court, what’s changed? Were fewer cases filed this year? Is criminal defense litigation down in 2020? From a criminal defense perspective, how is 2019 different […]
Robert Callahan & Associates is pleased to announce Governor Pritzker granted the clemency petition of SV. In the late 1970s, SV was convicted of Unlawful Possession of more than 500 grams of Cannabis, which was a Class 2 felony. Though SV was growing a substance that is now legal in Illinois, the conviction significantly impacted […]
MB owns a gas station in the Chicago area. He and his son JB run the store. One morning in the first week of June, MB and JB were behind the counter of the gas station store. All of a sudden, a group of 30 people charged into the store. They broke windows, tore down […]
If ever there was a time to NOT go to jail in Cook County, it’s right now. New York City may be ground zero for the total number of coronavirus cases in the United States, but the Cook County Jail is currently the largest single-site cluster of COVID-19 in the country. As of April 15, […]
Cook County Jail, covid 19