The general public trusts law enforcement officers to protect them. Meanwhile, those suspected of having committed a crime rely on their constitutional right of presumed innocence and a fair trial.
The grey space between a criminal accusation and trial may seem unfair. And a recent review of New York's criminal justice system found that incarceration based on a suspect's ability to pay for their pre-trial freedom may breed inequality.
Few events can change a person's life as drastically as a drug possession conviction. Not only do people convicted of drug crimes face the immediate consequences of significant fines and potential prison time, they also may lose privileges and opportunities that many of us take for granted every day.
With a drug conviction on your record, you may find it is very difficult to get a job to pay for your life, as well as a place to live. Many employers and property managers who see a drug conviction disclosed on an application will simply move on to the next person applying. You may even find that getting a better education to improve your opportunities is also more difficult. Simply put, protecting your future requires building a strong legal defense as quickly as you can and using all the resources you have to fight these charges and protect your rights.
Have you ever had an argument with your spouse over something silly? Did it get a little out of hand, but no real harm came from it? Maybe time passed after the argument, and your spouse decided to file for a divorce for unrelated reasons. That's all fairly common, especially as a couple's relationship begins to degrade.
What is less common is when a spouse decides to use false claims of abuse to get their way during a divorce. It may be true that you argued, but arguments are not the same as abuse. It might be hard for you to understand why your estranged spouse is making these claims, and those claims can disrupt everything about your life.
You may never have thought about the fact that your food may contain alcohol. Even if it did, you've heard that it all bakes off when the food is cooked, so you shouldn't have to worry about it, right?
The truth is that food can contain enough alcohol to give you a buzz or get you drunk, depending on the alcohol content and amount you ingest. If you're drinking with your meal, the meal may even boost your chances of having a higher BAC, since your own drink will combine with the alcohol found in the meal.
People tend to build internal hierarchies and create structure that help them understand the world around them, and sometimes, the ideas that we internalize can do more harm than good. For example, many people have an idea that certain crimes are much worse than others, and that personal belief leads them to underestimate the importance of criminal charges they consider minor.
While it is true that many people make a distinction between violent crime and other criminal offenses, that doesn't mean that offenses you consider minimal or minor won't matter to other people, such as future employers. One offense that too many people fail to take seriously is impaired driving. Because alcohol is legal and its use is common, quite a few people mistakenly believe that a first-time impaired driving offense won't have a major impact on their life.
Getting arrested and facing criminal charges has a way of impacting your life for more than just the time you spend in jail. Many people don't want to deal with the interruption that court can cause in their lives. Even if they know they did not commit the crime of which they are accused, they may see it as easier and smarter to just plead guilty.
A guilty plea could mean dealing with a lesser offense on your criminal record. It could also help criminal defendants avoid missing work for a protracted criminal trial. Those benefits may be far outweighed by the potential damages that conviction can do to your life.
If you're accused of abusing your partner, wife, husband or other person you're in a relationship with, you could face charges for domestic violence. While many of these charges are not fair, the police have no choice but to carry out their duties and separate the parties. In most cases, that means that at least one person will be arrested when a call is made.
If you are arrested for alleged domestic abuse, you may think that there's nothing you can say or do to change the outcome of this case, even if the allegations are false. Fortunately, that's not true. There are a number of defenses that can work in your favor.
You were stopped by police unexpectedly, so it's not surprising that you were offended when they asked that you take a breath test. You had a drink or two, but you didn't think it was enough to affect your driving. You don't even believe you did anything to cause them to pull you over, but they claimed that you were speeding.
You want to refuse to take the test out of pride, but it's honestly better to take the breath test instead of rejecting it. With a breath test, you can show that you aren't intoxicated. If you refuse it, you'll automatically face penalties.
Domestic abuse is an important topic to discuss, because it's often misunderstood. While many people believe that domestic abuse is only when someone is physically hurt by their spouse or partner, the reality is that abuse takes many forms.
Domestic violence is perhaps better explained as intimate partner violence or relationship abuse. It usually happens between partners, though it can involve children or other family members in some cases.
There are many different ways to defend against allegations of criminal actions. Some of the possibilities are to prove insanity, automatism, mistake of fact or self-defense. As someone who is willing to admit that you did commit a crime and made a mistake, you may be asking what the best options are.
You can't blatantly lie on the stand if you go to court, but you also don't want to be found guilty. What should you do?
Call the Law Office of Luke Scardigno to arrange a no-cost initial meeting or complete the brief online form.
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Law Office Of Luke Scardigno
123-60 83rd Avenue
Suite 1T
Kew Gardens,
NY
11415
Phone:
917-836-8924
Phone:
718-261-5151
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