Believe it or not, a shocking amount of people are arrested every single year in the US for crimes they did not commit. If that happens to you, it could have a drastic effect on the rest of your life depending on the crime. So, it’s important that you learn about the process of dealing with such an issue.
The severity of the crime will determine whether or not you have to stay in jail until your court date. However, there are many ways of returning to your family and getting on with your personal commitments and responsibilities. Take the advice from this post and use it wisely. It could mean the difference between sleeping soundly in your bed and having to keep one eye open.
Contact a bail bondsman
In many US states, anyone accused of a crime will have to give the government money in order to get released on bail. The amount will vary depending on your situation. It is usually thousands of dollars though, and most people don’t have that kind of money lying around. So, you need to get in touch with a reputable bail bondsman as soon as possible. When you do that, you only have to pay a small percentage of the fee. The rest is covered by your chosen bondsman.
Get legal representation
Fighting a criminal case without legal representation is never going to be a wise move. There are just so many things that could go wrong. You need someone on your side who understands the law and has lots of experience. A criminal lawyer will know of lots of loopholes that could encourage the judge to throw the case out. At the very least, the right lawyer will make sure you get the smallest sentence possible if you are convicted.
Find an alibi
If you know you weren’t in the area at the time the crime occurred, you should look to find a decent alibi. Maybe you were out drinking with friends, or perhaps you were visiting a family member? Either way, their testimony could save your bacon. Presuming you were in a public place when the crime allegedly happened, you might be able to get hold of CCTV footage that proves you were not involved. Your criminal defense lawyer will be the one best placed to cover all possibilities. Just make sure you work with them and always provide honest information. At the end of the day, lying to your lawyer could mean they do not take the best approach when representing you in court. Shooting yourself in the foot is not smart. Those people are there to help.
Now you know more about the best way to deal with a criminal allegation, you should be ready to face any eventuality. Innocent people should not end up in prison, and so you must follow our guidance if you want to beat the case. Failure to do so could mean you children grow up without one of their parents, and that would be sad.