How Can a Lawyer Help Me Avoid Jail Time?

If you are facing criminal charges, it is impossible for a lawyer to guarantee with 100% certainty that you will not be required to serve any time in prison. However, there are certain steps that can be taken to minimize the risk. Continue reading to discover how your attorney can help you avoid jail time and work with an experienced Red Bluff criminal lawyer for representation and legal advice during your case.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me Avoid Jail Time?

Depending on the details of your circumstances and the evidence that the prosecution has against you, your attorney may or may not be able to keep you out of prison. Hiring a criminal defense attorney will generally put you in a better position for a favorable outcome.

Keep in mind that there are generally only two ways to avoid being sentenced to jail in a criminal case. You must either be found not guilty or be found guilty but provided with alternative sentencing. Below are some ways that a lawyer may be able to help you avoid jail time.

• Representing you: In general, you are more likely to avoid jail time just by having legal representation present. When you are arrested or investigated for a crime, your lawyer will help you navigate the process and advise you on what to say and what not to say. Your attorney will help you avoid incriminating statements which could lead to jail time.
• Negotiating with the prosecution: One of the main ways a criminal defense lawyer can help you avoid imprisonment is by negotiating with the other side, the prosecution. Depending on the details of the prosecution’s case and evidence against you your attorney may be able to convince them to reduce the charges or recommend a lesser sentence by agreeing to a plea bargain.
• Alternative sentencing: Your lawyer can also advocate on your behalf for alternative sentencing. They could suggest that incarceration is extreme and unnecessary in your case and instead advocate for a term of probation, mandatory community service, use of an ankle monitor, or other types of supervision.
• Winning the case: Maybe the best and most obvious way that your lawyer can help you avoid imprisonment is by winning the case and receiving a verdict of not guilty. Your attorney can build a strong case with an effective defense and impenetrable evidence to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case.

Being found not guilty and walking free is the best-case scenario, but depending on the details of the situation it may not be possible. If there is no doubt regarding your guilt, your attorney will take steps to prevent the judge or jury from sending you to jail. Probation, rehabilitation programs, community service, and more may not be ideal but they are generally a better alternative to being locked up.

Speak with experienced criminal defense attorney Gregg Cohen for more information and representation today.