When you get charged with a crime and find yourself looking at months of court dates and all of the money you will have to spend on a lawyer, it can be tempting to take an option that skips all of that. You can just plead guilty, take your punishment, and move on with your life, right? Unfortunately, this is rarely your best option. Pleading guilty to a crime can end up being a poor decision that follows you around for life. You should at least take the time to talk to a Ramapo criminal defense attorney before you decide to do anything rash.
When you plead guilty, that is it. You do not get the chance to make any deals or see how you would fare in a jury trial. Sometimes the cops or prosecution will tell you to just cooperate and plead guilty. It would just be easier and less costly, so take the punishment and move on.
Things are never that simple though, and you could end up facing other consequences in addition to fines or jail time. You have to remember that the cops are not on your side here. They are looking to catch the bad guy, and they think that is you. The prosecutor would just be happy to have another one of their cases wrapped up so that they can move on to something else. Meanwhile, you could end up dealing with plenty of headaches even if you are only getting charged with a minor crime.
Depending on your situation, agreeing to plead guilty could be an extremely foolish decision. Pleading guilty to a crime could jeopardize your professional reputation. If you are a teacher, an accountant, or employed in some other career that requires professional licenses or some kind of oversight, you could end up damaging your career.
If you are in the country on a visa, being found guilty of a crime could be grounds for deportation. So if you do not want to put your own immigration plans in peril, you should not plead guilty to anything.
We recommend having a lawyer by your side. An attorney from our firm can help you evaluate your options and build a defense. If there really is no better option, your attorney might be able to help you secure a plea deal. This requires you to plead guilty, but the prosecution has lowered the severity of the charges against you. We can advise you on the best path forward.
If you are facing serious criminal charges, you do not have to fight back on your own. Contact the Law Office of Kevin T. Conway and learn more about what an experienced defense attorney can do to protect your interests. We are ready to assist you.
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