All’s not lost if you’ve been charged with a crime. In fact, there’s still a chance you could walk away with no penalties whatsoever. In some cases, even if you do end up getting a conviction, you could face minor penalties instead of more serious penalties like prison time.
Every case is different, which is why most people work with an attorney when they’re facing charges. They need to know that they’re doing everything they can to be certain they don’t end up in prison or with unfair penalties.
There are dozens of ways to defend yourself against a criminal charge, but perhaps the best is to prove that you’re innocent. If you have an alibi, a video or other evidence, that shows where you were and at what time, you could walk out of a court facing no penalties at all and a case that’s been dismissed.
Even if you did commit the crime in question, the way the police treat you and how evidence is handled matters. If evidence goes missing or your Miranda rightsweren’t read, you may be in a position to walk away without a conviction.
Defenses are built based on the facts of your case. If you work with an attorney, make sure to be as honest as possible. It’s not possible to defend someone appropriately without all the facts. What you say to an attorney is privileged; that means that your attorney keeps that information private. Our site has more information about defending yourself and what you can do if you’ve been accused of a crime.