Your home is your castle. That’s the underlying theme of castle doctrine laws, intended to allow people to defend their homes and lives without fear of prosecution. You may be forced to make a split-second decision on using deadly force; these laws are designed to prevent prosecutors from second guessing your life-or-death decision.
Florida Leads The Way
Have you read many news reports about Florida residents being prosecuted for shooting intruders inside their own homes? Probably not, because “those people just aren’t getting arrested due to Florida’s strong castle doctrine,” according to criminal defense attorney John P. Leombruno of the Arnold Law Firm in Jacksonville, Florida. “We have two main self-defense laws that apply, but they work very similarly and, sometimes, together. Our castle doctrine protects people in their safest places — their homes and cars. And our stand your ground law protects law-abiding citizens wherever they have a right to be. The castle doctrine law has been working very well to prevent the arrest of people who shoot an intruder inside their own home. The stand your ground cases, however, can be tougher.”