United States citizens enjoy a fair and decent justice system. There are protections in place to try and prevent innocent people from wrongful prosecution. If you have been charged with a serious crime, you can hire a criminal attorney to represent you. Once you have been arrested, you have rights that must be protected. A criminal lawyer can ensure this happens and that you get a fair chance to defend yourself.

Upon arrest you will be charged but these are not the real charges. An arresting officer will decide on scene depending on the circumstances and evidence what they believe can be proven in court. The file then moves onto the prosecutors office where they have 72 hours to charge you although these charges can be changed at any time. Criminal attorneys generally have a very good read on the particular prosecutors and what to expect from them if they have worked with them before. You may be accused of a crime that the community or a politically savvy prosecutor is touchy about such as drug possession and therefore have the book thrown at you. If the prosecutor wants to charge you with a felony, they must present the evidence they have to a grand jury made up of local citizens. The grand jury will decide if there is enough evidence to charge you with the felony. This is a one-sided hearing and you will not attend. The responsibility for proving your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor. Your criminal attorney’s job is to introduce as much guilt into the case as possible. The jury will be instructed to only convict if the evidence meets this benchmark. There is a chance if you live in a city that has an overcrowded criminal justice system that you will be offered a plea deal. The deal may for an example offer reduced charges or a reduced sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. You may get the chance to reduce your felony to a misdemeanor through drug counseling or completion of alcohol education. Your attorney can help you decide what is in your best interest but it is ultimately up to you. Having a felony on your record can affect your future negatively by limiting your employment and housing options. Having a criminal background is never a positive but with the help of a criminal lawyer hopefully you can reduce the damage as much as possible so you can have a great future.

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