When a person is arrested and the police have a significant amount of evidence against them, it’s easy for the person to be discouraged. However, the person isn’t going to be automatically guilty just because there’s a significant amount of evidence against them, and they don’t have to receive the maximum potential punishment for the crime they’re accused of. They’re going to want to hire a Criminal Defense Law Firm to help them get a better outcome.
Dismissing the Charges
Dismissing the charges often occurs because of a lack of evidence. However, this doesn’t mean there has to actually be little evidence against the person. If the evidence that is collected is not collected properly or if the chain of custody is broken and there’s a chance the evidence was compromised, it might not be able to be used against the person. When this happens, the evidence no longer counts against them, and there may be little enough evidence that the charges can be dismissed. This is not going to be an option in every case, but it is something a lawyer will look into when they take the case to see if it’s a possibility.
Lowering the Penalties
If the case cannot be dismissed and there is enough evidence for a guilty verdict, the lawyer will start to look into what can be done to mitigate the potential penalties. The lawyer may have the person accept a plea deal in which they plead guilty to a lesser offense and face penalties that are not as harsh. The lawyer might also have the person plead guilty and ask the judge to offer lower penalties because they are aware of what they have done and are not going to do it again. Often, an attorney can help the person obtain reduced penalties so they don’t need to spend as much time in jail if they need to serve jail time.
These are just two of the ways a Criminal Defense Law Firm can help their client. Even if the person has a significant amount of evidence against them, there are ways an attorney can help. The person should contact an attorney right away to find out what options are available for their case and to determine what an attorney can do to help them.
