Will It Help My Case If This Is My First Criminal Offense?
If you or your loved ones were accused of a criminal offense, your criminal background will play a major role for the court and will influence the final verdict in full.
If you have already committed some kind of crime in the past, the court will review your prior records in order to determine, if you are on probation. In case you are, this will automatically imply that your current crime violated the terms and conditions of probation. When it comes to probation violation, the court does not take the matter lightly and will probably impose even more penalties. People, who violated the terms and conditions of probation, may get their probation prolonged. Stricter terms and conditions of probation are the most positive outcome, since otherwise you risk having your probation revoked, which may imply that you will go to jail.
If you are “clean” and do not have any past criminal records, it is also a very important factor that may have a positive effect in court. After all, if it is your first offense, there is a big chance that the court will go lightly on you.
In order to demonstrate how it works, let us review the following example: Jack is a volunteer, who is working on some project along with all his friends. The group is peacefully working outside and does not bother anyone. A stranger approaches them and starts insulting the guys and their project. At first, Jack and his friends try not to notice the individual, but his insults become louder and louder, so finally Jack loses control and punches the stranger. Sure enough, the individual calls the police and claims that Jack assaulted him. Jack is arrested and appears in court. This is where an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will come in real handy. After all, since Jack has no prior criminal records, it will be crucial to demonstrate that he is in fact a good person – an outstanding student, a good son for his parents, a volunteer for numerous organizations and he simply lost control, for the first time in his life. If the lawyer will be persuasive enough, the judge may take a more relaxed decision and Jack will not have to face some truly harsh legal consequences.
On the other hand, if Jack was to assault a person, while already being on probation, the situation would be very different. The court already knows that Jack committed a crime in the past and was supposed to follow the rules and conditions of his probation. Jack violated those rules and now risks facing some dire penalties. This is also where a good lawyer will be absolutely invaluable. He will have the ability to prepare a proper defense strategy that would allow the court to understand that it was a simple misunderstanding and Jack had no intention to violate the rules – he was literally forced to do so and that is why the judge should take all the factors in consideration, when coming up with the sentence.
In the end, although criminal records play a major role in court, the most important thing to do is to hire a qualified and experienced defense attorney, who will be able to use all the available evidence to your advantage. Therefore, if you or your loved ones are accused of a crime and are hoping to use the absence of past criminal records as an advantage; do not hesitate to get in touch with a professional Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer ASAP.
Los Angeles Criminal Specialists, www.losangeles-criminaldefense.org