Protecting Yourself When Faced With Criminal Charges
Facing a criminal charge is always a major event that individuals will need to treat as an extremely serious matter. Otherwise, they could find that they are facing harsh penalties for seemingly minor offenses.
Avoid Making The Situation Worse
When a person is arrested and charged with a crime, it can be a common instinct to attempt to resist or to otherwise make the situation worse. This can result in additional charges, which may be far more difficult for you to build a credible defense against it. In addition to avoiding resisting arrest or other charges, you should also be extremely mindful of what you say as this can be considered evidence. The safest option will be to refuse to answer questions until an attorney is present to represent you. Failing to follow this step can often result in individuals admitting guilt or otherwise unnecessarily incriminating themselves during a time when they are extremely vulnerable and confused.
Understand That There May Be Legal Options Available To You
One assumption that people can make about a criminal charge is that they will not have an effective defense against it. While it is true that there are some cases where the defendant may have limited options available to them, there are many situations where individuals will have far more latitude than they would have otherwise suspected. For example, a criminal defense attorney may be able to negotiate directly with the prosecutor to help reduce the charges you are facing or to negotiate a more lenient penalty. Understanding that there are often a number of options available can avoid situations where a defendant may assume that pleading guilty will be the only option available to them given the circumstances.
Be Helpful To Your Attorney
A criminal defense attorney can offer valuable representation and guidance during the course of your defense efforts. To assist these professionals in representing you, you will want to be as helpful as possible to your attorney. This will include promptly returning calls, providing honest and accurate information, as well as be timely to meetings. These steps can reduce the risk of the attorney encountering surprises during the course of representing you as this could significantly frustrate their efforts. By striving to be helpful and to minimize the risk of surprises for your attorney, you can help them to avoid common issues, surprises, and other potential problems during the course of representing you in the case. Find attorneys near you like those at William G Mason Attorneys today.