A criminal charge will undoubtedly affect a person’s life no matter how small the charge may be. Criminal charges will be documented on a person’s criminal record and made public for people, such as future employers, to look up and see.
Every person makes mistakes or makes a poor judgment call at some point in their life, but when people break the law and get caught they have to live with the consequences for the rest of their life.
PENALTIES THAT COME WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES
The penalties that come with criminal charges vary greatly depending on the criminal charge and the circumstances behind the crime. Criminal charges are broken up into two main categories which are misdemeanor and felony. Then they are further broken up into first, second and third degree.
All criminal charges, even criminal traffic violations, have the option of jail time as a penalty for the person charged with the crime.
Below is a list of criminal charges assigned to the category of misdemeanor and felony:
MISDEMEANOR CRIMINAL OFFENSES:
• Driving on a suspended license (first or second offense)
• DUI (first or second offense)
• Assault (without weapon)
• Battery (minimal physical contact without causing permanent damage)
• Leaving the scene of an accident (only causing property damage)
• Criminal traffic violations
• Indecent exposure (first offense)
• Street racing
• Prostitution (first or second offense)
• Solicitation (first or second offense)
FELONY CRIMINAL OFFENSES
• Murder (first, second and third degree)
• Manslaughter
• Aggravated assault
• Aggravated Battery
• Rape
• Third time DUI
• Third time driving while license suspended
• Third time prostitution charge
• Third time solicitation charge
• Sexual assault
• Statutory rape
• Leaving the scene of an accident
• Vehicular manslaughter
• Drug trafficking
• Drug possession
The second that a person is charged with a criminal offense their life will be changed forever. Criminal charges create judgment to occur from other people, they make it hard for people to find jobs, they cause people to lose their jobs, they cause car insurance rates to increase, they cost people a lot of money in fines and they can take away precious moments of a person’s life through jail time, probation, and court dates.
MAKING THE NEXT MOVE
Criminal offenses like murder, rape and manslaughter all have extremely high penalties and most people find themselves a lawyer to fight for them. However, with smaller criminal charges, many people just accept the charge, not knowing that if they fought the charge they would have gotten all of their charges dismissed.
If a person is charged with a criminal offense, they should research their offense or call a lawyer immediately and make sure that they were charged justifiably. Many officers make mistakes and do not have the right amount of proof to convict a person with the charge they have given them. PROOF is what is necessary to convict a person of a criminal offense not an officer’s opinion.
HIRING A LAWYER
No matter how small the crime is, a criminal charge is a serious matter and a person charged with such should contact a lawyer immediately when they are accused of committing a criminal offense.
Somewhere along the line lawyers have become known as greedy and unreliable, which is why it is important for a person charged with a criminal offense to hire an experienced, intelligent, aggressive and compassionate lawyer to fight for them.
FINEBLOOM, HAENEL& HIGGINS
If you want a lawyer that you can count on to give you 100% call us today. We have been adamantly defending people facing criminal charges for over 30 years and we are available 24/7 to offer guidance and help to people who need it. We are highly experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to all aspects of the law and we care about our defendants receiving the best possible outcome. We are aggressive in the courtroom and we are compassionate to our defendant’s cases. We know the stress criminal charges have on a person’s life and we are here to help. Call us today and set up a free consultation at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848).
