Drug Crime Defense: Avoiding Harsh Penalties

A drug crime defense should be handled by a competent and experienced lawyer, well versed in the laws governing your state. If you have been charged with possession or distribution, it is vital that you entrust your case to someone who has the experience necessary to handle the situation. Whether the case goes to trial or is pleaded out beforehand, you are far more likely to get a raw deal if you don't have good legal representation. Drug laws are different and they are constantly changing. Studies have shown factors as nebulous as the time of day can have an impact on a convict's sentence. Don't let the whims of the legal system decide your fate.

Plea Bargains

In some cases, a plea bargain will be your best chance at avoiding the harshest punishments. Court systems allow for plea bargaining in many cases to avoid the expense of a trial, as well as the potential for a loss. If you feel the state has a very good chance of getting a conviction, you may wish to take this opportunity to reduce your own sentence. Depending on the crime, you may be able to get away with time served or probation. Of course, you should never make any decision without talking it over with a drug crime defense attorney.

Turning State's Evidence

Prosecutors and police often have bigger fish to fry. If you are a low man on the totem pole, you may be able to have your charges dismissed or your penalties reduced by turning state's evidence and helping them catch those bigger fish. This could involve something as small as telling them where you got your supply to being a witness in a trial to wearing a wire and obtaining evidence for the cops. You have to weigh your own safety, as well as your ethics, against your potential punishment when considering whether or not you want to do this.

Police Mistakes

If a drug crime defense lawyer agrees to take your case and believes you have enough to argue the case before a jury, one of the most likely points of exploitation will be the behavior of the police. Nearly every case argued in front of a jury will make accusations of police incompetence. Why? Because the police handle no case perfectly. Even when they do handle a case competently, it usually isn't difficult to make a jury think they made mistakes. If they really made big mistakes, however, your rights could have been trampled. It is important to bring this up in front of a jury so that they know how the case came to be before them.