10 Common Misconceptions about Criminal Defense: How to Protect Your Rights and Avoid Legal Pitfalls
If you are charged with a crime, then relying on popular myths surrounding criminal law will do you no good. In fact, the consequences of being ignorant about this area of law can be catastrophic and severely hinder your ability to protect yourself in court.
As a leading law firm in Michigan, here at the offices of Coppins Law Group, we’ve witnessed just how dangerous harboring these misconceptions can be. So we would like to use this article as an opportunity to debunk 10 misconceptions about criminal law once and for all.
So let’s get started without further ado.
1) Every Criminal Defense Lawyer Is the Same
This is a common misconception that we’ve seen many people harbor about criminal defense attorneys all across the USA. There is no shortage of attorneys in Michigan that you can approach for legal representation. However, this idea that there is no difference among attorneys cannot be further from the truth.
Each attorney will differ from the other in many aspects. While some attorneys are amateurs in the field, there are others that possess substantial experience spearheading criminal cases at both the state and federal levels. It is in your best interest to do some due diligence when hiring a criminal defense attorney.
Choosing the right attorney with a great reputation, specialized training, and a results-driven approach to counseling can drastically improve your chances in court. Always verify the qualification of a criminal defense attorney and get background information on them to make the right decision.
2) The Police always have the upper hand
Among the many long-standing criminal defense myths, the overestimation of police power is perhaps one that continues to make people nervous to this day. In fact, everyone in the country is afforded legal rights that can effectively undermine police authority.
If you are aware of the constitutional rights in criminal cases that you are entitled to, then it is you and your attorney that has the upper hand in most circumstances. Knowing your rights is the most effective way of avoiding legal pitfalls like being manipulated by the police force.
You can also go a step further in protecting your rights and hire a criminal defense attorney who understands your constitutional rights and knows how to enforce them to your advantage.
3) You Don’t Need an Attorney if You’re Innocent
In a study conducted by the Innocence Project, it was found that 1 percent of the US’s prison population is falsely convicted. Simply put, there are about 20000 people serving time in US prisons for a crime they did not commit. This should hopefully dissuade you from self-representation in court.
Out of all the misconceptions, we’ll discuss here, this one truly has tragic consequences. Even if innocent, most people do not understand their constitutional rights accurately and thus find themselves in legal pitfalls like this one. Experienced legal representation from a reputable criminal defense attorney is the best way to protect your rights.
4) Plea Bargains Means Admitting Guilt
Most people try to avoid taking plea bargains, believing it to be a way of admitting guilt. This is yet another grave misconception. In reality, there are many advantages to pleading guilty. For starters, it takes out the uncertainty surrounding convictions that such court proceedings bring. Most criminal defense attorneys vehemently believe that taking a plea deal is sound legal advice.
In fact, plea bargains are important tools in the arsenal of an attorney when it comes to protecting rights. The attorney can use it to negotiate a deal, which could entail reduced jail sentences. Plea deals are one of the most imperative constitutional rights afforded to a US citizen. Taking a plea bargain when your attorney advises is essential in avoiding legal pitfalls.
5) The Prosecution has all the Evidence Against You
Another misconception just like plea bargains that people harbor regarding criminal law has to do with prosecution & evidence. Similar to the false perception of police advantage, the idea that the prosecution has all the evidence to put you away for good is categorically false. Yes, the prosecution can be aggressive in their case against you and is perhaps working tirelessly to gather evidence.
Now it can become difficult to beat prosecution evidence with self-representation as most people take this route because they are unsure of avoiding legal counsel.
This is another one of those legal pitfalls that you can avoid with strong legal representation from a reliable criminal defense attorney. They can use their legal insight to have evidence brought by the prosecution dismissed in court cases.
6) Your Constitutional Rights Don’t Apply in Criminal Cases
Let’s tackle this misconception right off the bat. Your constitutional rights do matter in criminal cases. They are what both you and your criminal defense attorney can count on to protect rights and yield a judgment in court that falls in your favor.
There are serious consequences for violating a person’s constitutional protections. No one, be it the police or the criminal justice system is entitled to violate someone’s legal rights. Even if they are violated by such authoritative entities, you can drag the perpetrators to court in order to make them answer for the injustice you were subjected to.
7) The Court Will Rule in Your Favor
Sometimes you might find yourself in front of a judge and jury that you believe are ideologically aligned with you or perhaps belong to your community. It is incredibly foolish to expect bias in the court because of this and is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous common misconceptions about the legal system.
Both the judge and jury have a duty to uphold and certain rules to follow… violation of which could land them in serious trouble. So do not assume just because you are in a local court or you know the judge that there will be an automatic ruling in your favor. The only way a court ruling will be in your favor is if you have a good criminal defense strategy conjured by your lawyer.
Hire an attorney that knows how to employ successful defense tactics and is an expert at winning criminal cases. This way protecting your rights in court will be considerably easy.
8) It’s better to Go to Trial than Accept a Plea Deal
This is another one of those misconceptions about criminal defense that several in America harbor. In the battle between Trial vs Plea Deal, most people truly believe that going to trial would be better for them. However, this could basically mean throwing the advantages that come with plea bargaining out of the window. People also underestimate how costly a trial can be.
People also wish to go to trial because they believe accepting a plea deal would mean admitting guilt. No matter what angle you look at it from, going to trial is seldom considered a good criminal defense strategy or a good idea in general when it comes to protecting your rights. When you decide to take a case to trial, you are basically putting your fate in the hands of a jury. You have absolutely no way of knowing how they will respond to your court proceeding or the evidence brought up against you. This is one of those legal pitfalls that you may find very hard to come out of once the decision has been taken.
It is important to deliberate with your criminal defense attorney before you decide to take a case to trial.
9) You Can’t Afford a Criminal Defense Attorney
Most people avoid legal representation because they feel it is impossible to find low-cost legal assistance or inexpensive legal aid. On the contrary, there are many law firms and budget-friendly criminal defense attorneys that offer flexible payment plans that are suitable to one’s budget.
It is not difficult to find an inexpensive or low-cost criminal defense attorney that is ready to offer cheap legal help. If you are looking to hire a cost-effective criminal defense attorney for affordable legal representation, then you can simply give us at Coppins Law Group a call as well.
We offer a free initial consultation to explain everything you need to know about our services and how we can help protect your legal rights.
10) You’re Better off Representing Yourself in Court
We don’t want to waste time stating that representing yourself in court is a bad idea. Most common folks have no idea what their constitutional rights are, let alone understand how the criminal justice system operates. The risks of self-representing in criminal cases can be devastating.
People underestimate the importance of legal counsel. A seasoned criminal defense attorney knows how to assess evidence and create a winning defense strategy. They are more capable of protecting your rights than you yourself. As a renowned law firm, we at Coppins Law Group strongly advise against self-representing. This is one of those common misconceptions and criminal defense myths that we’ve witnessed do a lot of harm.
Avoiding legal pitfalls such as the ones above is very easy if you stay informed about your rights and hire a reputable criminal defense attorney to counsel you.
So if you are charged with a serious crime, we suggest you don’t fall prey to these misconceptions and give the trusted law firm of Coppins Law Group a call right away. Initial consultation with our lawyers is free of charge.
