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Institutional Vandalism

INSTITUTIONAL VANDALISM ( HATE VANDALISM)

CHICAGO CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

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CHICAGO, IL INSTITUTIONAL VANDALISM (HATE VANDALISM) DEFENSE

720 ILCS 5/21-1.2

The relevant law can be found at:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/072000050K21-1.2.htm

 

Definition:

You have committed institutional vandalism when you damage the property of some place or structure or building or school or of those who worship or gather there, and you do so because you believe that one of the following traits apply to them even if it is not actually the case:


  • their race, or
  • their religion, or
  • their ancestry, or 
  • their sex or 
  • their sexual orientation, or 
  • because of any disability they have.

 

This category applies even if it is not actually the case that the property or site or area is associated with the group you allegedly targeted, what matters was your motivation.

These definitions apply, but are not necessarily limited to schools, houses of worship, cemeteries, or mortuaries.

 

Penalties: 

Institutional vandalism counts as Class 3 felony when the damage to the property does not exceed $500. In this case the penalty is a prison sentence of two to five years (or five to ten years for an extended sentence) with up to a $25,000 fine. Probation of up to thirty months may be imposed instead of prison time. However, when the property damage you caused exceeds $500 or if this is a subsequent offense that counts as a Class 2 felony with three to seven years of incarceration (seven to fourteen years for an extended term). Probation of up to four years may then be imposed instead of prison time, along with a potential $25,000 fine. You may also be ordered to pay restitution and the fine here must be at least $1,000. You will also have to perform public or community service of at least 200 hours.

How we can defend you against a charge of institutional vandalism:

  • We can claim you did not do it (perhaps someone else did it and you were just present also) or that you committed the offense for other reasons, even if that gets you in trouble for those other reasons. 
  • We can file “motions to suppress” relevant evidence that you were there if that was wrongfully obtained against your rights or someone else’s or if it is questionable, thereby making it inadmissible and thereby clearing you or by minimizing the prosecution’s case so they concede or negotiate. 
  • If such evidence is admitted, we can argue at trial that the evidence or testimony is incorrect or fabricated against you and therefore should give the jurors a reasonable doubt. 


 Prosecutors do not like to waste taxpayer's money on expensive public trials; we can possibly wrap things up in pretrial phase or if not, start negotiating from there for lesser charges and sentences for you. This is where having an experienced attorney to represent you and negotiate and speak for you can save years of your life and tens of thousands of fines and/or foregone income. It is worth it, and you deserve a good defense,


Other lawyers so often talk of how they will “aggressively fight for you.” They are doing nothing more than basically quoting from the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct about the principle of a “lawyer's obligation zealously to protect and pursue a client's legitimate interests, within the bounds of the law.” When you hire Phillip Haddad as your criminal defense attorney in Chicago or elsewhere in its suburban area, he will not only do his professional duty to zealously represent you but will get you the justice you deserve. His extensive experience in criminal defense will help you avoid conviction or else minimize the penalties. Call criminal defense attorney Phillip Haddad at 708-833-3505 as soon as possible if you are in legal trouble.

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