Crime on the Rise in Amish Country

Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Creative Commons LicenseCrime is an unfortunate fact of life. The police do a valiant job in protecting people from criminals, but mistakes are often made. Police are only human and sometimes a defendant can be falsely or improperly arrested. And even those cases in which the defendant confesses may be subject to improper penalties. All defendants in a DUI case need a DUI defense lawyer, no matter what the circumstances.

The Amish community, long known for shunning modern technology and society, has been seeing a rise in crime over recent years, most commonly drunken driving and sexual abuse.

According to a 70-year-old Amish leader, the changes brought by the rising population and information technology has brought out more criminal behavior among the Plain folk.

Law enforcement officials say that compared to others the Amish actually commit a very small percentage for crimes in the area. Out of 9,000 people under court supervision, only around a hundred of them could be considered Amish or Old Order Mennonites.

The Amish leader says the new technology has made it more difficult for them to keep watch over their children. Instead of staying on the farm, many of them work construction or have market stands outside the community. Some of them have smartphones and use the internet, which is something the Amish leaders do not want to see happening.

Young members of the Plain sects are most likely to be charged with drunk driving, according to police, since their young men are allowed to drive motor vehicles until they join the church. These vehicles are kept off the property.

DUI can also occur in a horse and buggy. After all, it’s still a vehicle.

All of the Plain sect offenders are male.

If you’ve been accused of a DUI-related crime, no matter what your walk of life, or background, it is very important that you find a skilled and tenacious defender to speak for you. We can provide that for you at the office of Steven Kellis. Contact us today for a free consultation and we’ll do everything in our power to make sure you’re treated fairly throughout the process.