The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reported that the Asian community has been a prime target by criminals, citing the statistical data available to the public.  JSO representatives, State Attorney Angela Corey, and leaders of local Asian organizations held a community forum in early June to discuss safety.  

Law enforcement offered  advice to families and business owners  to ensure their own safety.  Suggestions included:  providing adequate lighting, keeping large amounts of cash off the premises, and getting video surveillance systems installed, which could provide valuable leads for the police to track the perpetrators, and serve as evidence for prosecutors.

The Yau Law Firm is an Asian owned business, and takes these alarming statistics very seriously.  While one of the practice areas includes Criminal Defense, a common misconception is that attorneys help criminals “get off.”  That simply is not true.  Every suspect is innocent until proven guilty, which is why evidence documenting a crime is so critical in criminal cases.  When there is evidence that proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime was committed, the suspect ought to be convicted.  Without this evidence, there is an unacceptable risk that an innocent person’s constitutional guarantee of liberty will be violated.

When someone is charged with a crime, there are some people who believe that this person “must be guilty of something.”  Law enforcement and prosecutors are human, and make human errors.  Making an error in charging or prosecuting is no exception.  The Yau Law Firm believes in minimizing the element of human error by evaluating protocol, procedures, and evidence.

Filed under: Criminal Defense by Yau Jo-Anne Wednesday, July 6th, 2011