Avoid these five common pitfalls in your criminal defense

If you’ve been charged with a criminal offense, then you’re probably worried about your future and the penalties that may be levied against you if you’re convicted. This is understandable given the magnitude of the penalties that are implemented in these situations and their potential long-term impact on your life.

This includes everything from jail or prison time to fines, a damaged reputation, negative implications for your employment, and even a poor outcome in family law matters like a child custody dispute.

Avoiding common pitfalls in your criminal defense

If you’re facing criminal charges, then, you should do everything you can to protect your interests.

This means thinking through your defense options and figuring out the course of action that’s best for you. As you do that, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not falling into some of the common pitfalls seen in criminal cases, which includes each of the following:

1. Freely talking to the police: Remember, regardless of how they present themselves, the police are not there to help you. Their job is to find those who have committed a crime and arrest them. If you talk to them, then they might twist your words to use them against you or otherwise implicate you in the crime that they’re investigating. You don’t want that to happen. So, if the police come knocking or they take you to the police station for questioning, you’re better off seeking legal counsel. Remember, too, that you don’t ever have to talk to the police.
2. Offering up evidence: Sure, you don’t have to talk to the police, but you also don’t have to give up other evidence that may be incriminating. You don’t have to consent to a search of your home or vehicle, and you don’t have to volunteer fingerprints or DNA samples. Freely providing this evidence will do nothing but potentially set you up for conviction.
3. Thinking you don’t need an attorney: A lot of people who have been charged with a criminal offense don’t reach out to a defense attorney until they’ve already talked themselves into trouble or the evidence against them has become more difficult to overcome. The earlier you bring a criminal defense attorney into your case the better you’ll be able to protect your interests and deflect any accusations that you’re to blame for the criminal offense in question.
4. Posting on social media: Many individuals who end up convicted of a criminal offense get there because they talk too much and they share too much information. This includes posting key information on social media that is then turned against them. So, you’re better off avoiding social media while the criminal investigation plays out.
5. Trying to sway witnesses: Witness tampering is a crime, and it can make it look like you’re guilty of committing the underlying offense. Therefore, it’s best to stay away from witnesses identified by the police and the prosecution, and instead let your attorney figure out the best way to deal with them.

Taking a comprehensive approach to your case

If you want to protect yourself as fully as possible, then you need to ensure that you fully analyze every fact of your case and every legal issue that might come up. An attorney can help you do that while keeping an eye on how to craft the strongest defense arguments possible under the circumstances. That way, you can aggressively push back against the prosecution.