How to Plan Your Next Move After Getting Charged With a Crime
If you have ever been arrested, then you know how stressful and upsetting this situation can be. Often police presence alone is enough to get adrenaline pumping, and before you know it you are simply trying to do what you can to get out of your situation as quickly and safely as possible. The situation takes on a whole different situation when you have been formally charged with a crime. Now you are getting ready for the judicial process. Here is some advice to help you plan your next move after getting charged with a crime.
Understand the Criminal Process
Your first move after getting charged with a crime is to develop an understanding of the criminal process. Knowing how the judicial system works, and your rights along the way, will help you navigate the process as expediently and properly as possible. Once you have been charged with a crime, this means that the prosecutor on the case has decided to pursue prosecution. This will then lead to a trial, after a potential grand jury, where you will have to defend your innocence against the prosecution, who must prove beyond a reasonable doubt your guilt to the jury. The jury must then decide unanimously on your innocence or guilt.
Hire a Lawyer
After you have understood the basics of the criminal justice process, your next move after getting charged with a crime should be hiring a lawyer. While you can choose to defend yourself in court, it is always a good idea to have a lawyer who understands the criminal justice process deeply and can offer the best defense of your innocence. It is important to pick a good lawyer from the offset. Switching lawyers can end up hurting your defense case.
Do Not Discuss Your Case with Anyone Other Than Your Lawyer
The final step to take after getting charged with a crime is to not discuss the case with anyone other than your lawyer. Your conversations with your lawyer are protected against the law, you can tell your lawyer anything and it cannot be used against you in court. Your conversations with anyone else (with the occasional exception of your spouse), however, are not protected and can be used against you in court. If anyone tries to discuss your case with you, simply tell them you cannot discuss your case until it is complete.
Getting charged with a crime can be an incredibly stressful time. And knowing how to deal with the charge properly and appropriately can help you get through the judicial process as quickly and easily as possible. Make sure you take these three steps to protect yourself after getting charged with a crime.
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