How long should past mistakes cause a penitent person to suffer? Is a system that shuts out those with a criminal record encouraging improvement or repeat offenders? If you have a criminal record, you’ve likely wrestled with these troubling thoughts and harsh realities. The good news is this: for many of you, there’s hope to [...]

Living with a criminal record in New Jersey can feel overwhelming and devastating; a blemished record can turn even the simplest procedures into drawn out difficulties. Job applications, housing opportunities and even educational advancement can be hampered by an unclean record. But errors of the past don’t have to be life sentences, and exploring expungement [...]

If you enjoy a drink or two around the holiday season, you can hardly be blamed. But if you need to drive home after a night of Christmas carousing, you better think before you drink. There’s a fine line between sober and sloppy - one that’s clearly delineated in the state of New Jersey. So [...]

A crime of violence, especially where death is involved, is extremely serious in the eyes of the law, and carries with it the heaviest sentencing potential. But not all instances where a defendant used force on another should result in a criminal conviction. The act of self-defense is a legitimate and lawful behavior – in [...]

We’ve all be there at some point: you’re driving along the open road, traveling slightly above the speed limit, and suddenly your heart drops as you see blue and red lights flashing in your rearview mirror. While speeding tickets may be fairly common, these and other similar traffic offenses should still be reviewed and handled [...]

A criminal conviction can affect you for the rest of your life. If you or a loved one recently has been convicted of a crime and lost on appeal, you might be thinking that you’re all out of options. In some instances, you may have an opportunity to challenge the conviction or the sentencing through [...]

Leaving the scene of an accident (most commonly referred to as a “hit and run”) has serious consequences in New Jersey. State law requires a driver to stop and report any sort of motor vehicle accident, even if no injuries were sustained. If you’ve been charged with this crime, it is important to retain an [...]

In order to be convicted of a crime in New Jersey, the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that, among other factors, you had the necessary state of mind (“mens rea”) to carry out the specific criminal behavior. In applicable cases, Mark Catanzaro, a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey, first seeks to demonstrate [...]

Most people have a general idea of what “assault” means, but not everyone understands the difference between simple assault and aggravated assault. In New Jersey, the distinctions generally come from the degree of force involved; the nature of the injuries; the presence or absence of a weapon; and whether the victim is afforded special protection [...]