Defending yourself after being charged with a crime is important if you want to minimize the risk of penalties. Whether you intended to commit a crime or did so accidentally, you deserve an opportunity to defend yourself against any allegations you face.
Criminal defenses are extremely important because they help make sure that you only receive a fair amount of punishment. For example, if you steal a pair of shoes, it would likely be seen as excessive to force you to remain in jail for many years or to pay excessive fines.
What do you need to do to build a solid defense?
To build a defense, it is important to start with the truth. You need to tell your attorney exactly what happened so they can begin to help you create a defense based on that foundation of truth. For example, if you were wearing stolen shoes, you could admit it. However, if you didn’t know they were stolen, then that would be an excellent starting point for your defense.
The next thing to do is to work on getting sympathy from the jury and judge. You can do this by explaining or proving why events happened the way that you’ve stated, not how the prosecution states.
There are different methods to defend yourself from confessing to totally denying your involvement in a criminal act. You should speak with your attorney to decide which, if any, of these options might be right for your case. Our website has more on what to do if you have been accused of stealing or participating in a crime.