A Criminal Defense Attorney Does More Than Some May Think

Contrary to what some may believe, a criminal defense attorney does more than work to help their client escape jail time. Although this is a part of their job, in many cases, this isn't even an option they readily go after. That's because the field of law is extremely complex and each case is different.

For example, one of the things a criminal defense lawyer may work to do is help their client get a lighter penalty. However, some may think that this isn't a good route to take in some instances. In the public's eyes, the worst criminals should get the steepest penalty possible. However, there are some cases where the defendant may be able to get a lighter penalty with the help of their lawyer.

Imagine if there was a woman who was continually abused by her spouse. She went through this ordeal for many years. However, one day she snapped and ended up fatally shooting or stabbing her spouse. The family of the victim would most likely and understandably fight for a steep penalty. In their eyes, they lost a loved one to a coldblooded murderer. Some of them may not even believe the story about the abuse. So, what if the judge and jury decided to give the women life in prison or even the death penalty? Besides the people in the victim's family, there wouldn't be many people who agree with the sentence. That's because it could be seen as a crime of passion and others would be able to see it with a more objective perspective. Therefore in this case, the criminal defense attorney would try to fight to cut the sentence down considerably. That's because the murder wasn't actually premeditated. So, this is one situation where these types of lawyers do more than try to get their clients away from jail time completely.

Another thing that some criminal defense attorneys do is advise their clients to make a plea bargain. In other words, they will tell them to plead guilty. In some cases, this is a defendant's only hope, especially if they are actually guilty of the crime. Going this route may give them the opportunity to spend much less time in jail. Whereas, if they would have gone through the trial process, they might've come out with a much harsher penalty.

So, a criminal defense attorney does much more than try to convince the judge and jury that their client is not guilty. However, in some cases this isn't their intent at all. Instead, they try their best to help their client attain a lighter sentence.