Plea Bargain And Should You Go For It Or Not?

We all heard of the plea bargaining in criminal cases, but only a few people understand what such a bargain may mean. In essence, a plea bargain is somewhat of a compromise between the defendant’s legal representative and the prosecution, a case settlement of sorts. Successful plea bargains are quite beneficial, seeing how in many cases people who were charged with felonies were able to reduce the sentence to a misdemeanor.

If a person is charged with a felony, there is a much bigger chance that he or she is going to end up in county jail or even state prison. Plea bargaining can protect the defendant from the felony charges and help in reducing the sentence to a misdemeanor, which is a huge benefit, especially if the initial charges were harsh.

In some cases, the defendant’s legal representative is able to convince the prosecution to mitigate the charges. For example, if a person was initially charged with petty theft, a good attorney may be capable of convincing the prosecutor to lessen the charges to trespassing. Of course, legal penalties for trespassing are far less severe. Furthermore, the defendant will be able to avoid jail time and trespassing charges will not look as bad as petty theft in his or her criminal records, which is always an advantage that simply cannot be overestimated.

In addition, in certain cases, the attorney will be able to use plea bargaining in order to substitute jail time with community service, which is indeed a much more favorable option. Moreover, if the defendant was charged with DUI (driving under influence of alcohol or illegal substances), the lawyer may use plea bargaining to lessen the fines and to substitute alcohol awareness programs with alcohol anonymous meetings.

It is absolutely crucial for the lawyer to demonstrate to the judge and the prosecutor that the defendant is actually worthy of a second chance. A good and experience attorney will use the client’s personal records, witness reports and various testimonials to demonstrate that the defendant is not a bad person, even though his actions may say otherwise. After all, we are all humans and we all make mistakes.

Therefore, if you or your loved ones were charges with a crime and you would like to mitigate the sentence, follow the advice of a legal specialist on the subject of the plea bargaining. Do not make a decision on your own, since only a qualified as well as genuinely experienced criminal defense expert will be capable of deciding if the bargaining will be beneficial in your case. A good lawyer will provide you with legal recommendations you require. 

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Qualifying Factors For a Criminal Case Expungement

Being charged with a crime is very frustrating, depressing and frightening, especially if you were charged for the very first time. After all, aside from all the legal consequences that may include expensive fines, obligatory awareness classes and community service, think about the overall impact these charges may have on your day to day life.

Having a criminal record in your personal history may negatively affect your life. All things considered, the vast majority of employers will not be very eager to hire a person with criminal past, no matter how mild the offense was. In addition, not every landlord will want to provide you with the real estate property, especially in a good neighborhood. It may also have an impact on your credit history and the banks will think twice before providing you with a loan. Finally, those records may cause of family conflicts, which is also very unpleasant.

If the circumstances allow, your criminal case may be expunged. This basically means that the court is going to re-open the case, set aside the plea and then dismiss the case. Although it does not erase records completely, expungement is a way to seal your criminal history from the public, which is more than most people could ever wish for.

However, in order for a person to be qualified for expungement, there are certain factors and criteria that can influence the final decision. First of all, the individual should have followed all terms and conditions of his or her probation. In addition, he or she should have paid all court fees, fines, expenses and restitution. Furthermore, his or her sentence must not have involved prison time and, most importantly, the person must not be charged with any other offense at the same time.

The defendant will need to appear in the Civil Court before a judge in order to qualify for the expungement. Even if the judge is going to grant the expungement request, it does not mean that all of your conviction records are going to be erased – it only implies that you will be able to honestly answer the question “were you convicted for a crime?” without having to ruin your reputation. Yet, if you are going to break the law once again, the previous expungement is going to be reversed. In addition, it will also be used against you in court, which may add to your sentence.

If you or your loved ones are hoping to get the criminal records expunged, it is very important to get in touch with a qualified as well as genuinely experienced legal representative at the earliest opportunity. Only will a professional attorney know how to handle things in court and how to convince the judge that you actually deserve a second chance. He will do his very best to make sure that your criminal records are completely expunged, giving you a chance to start over and a passage to a better and brighter future. Good lawyer will deal with the expungement matter quickly and effectively and you will be able to forget about those records at last.  

Law Offices of Criminal Defense Specialists