When a Criminal Defense Attorney in Auburn considers whether to negotiate a plea bargain with the prosecution or bring the case to trial, this lawyer typically mulls over many questions. Some cases are relatively straightforward. A plea bargain may be the only reasonable option when the client is most assuredly guilty and would not be a sympathetic defendant to a judge or jury. In other cases, the client may be innocent, but may struggle with the possibility of risking a sentence of incarceration after an unsuccessful trial.
A Stressful Time
Waiting for the trial to come up on the schedule and preparing for that trial tends to be a stressful experience for the defendant. Months can go by with this person either having to wait in jail because of the bail situation. In better circumstances, the defendant is able to retain his or her freedom, but the sense that the ax is about to fall may be unavoidable much of the time. A Criminal Defense Attorney in Auburn is always ready to consult with this client to provide legal counsel, and to either offer reassurance or caution about the current plan.
The Risk of Jail Time
Some offenses obviously do not carry the same risk of harsh penalties as others do, but the person charged with the crime may still feel scared. Someone who already has a certain number of convictions for driving under the influence, for example, may be facing a mandatory minimum jail sentence if the most recent charge is not successfully defended. But that is typically much less than the possible sentence awaiting a person who could be convicted of aggravated assault, armed robbery or another violent crime. That defendant could face years in prison without a successful plea bargain.
Doing Everything Possible
In the long run, a law firm such as Yoder & Kraus wants to do everything possible to help clients. Sometimes that means bringing a case to court and fighting the charge. More often, it means working out a plea bargain with the prosecution and having that arrangement approved by a judge. Consultations are available for anyone who has been charged with a crime and does not know what to do now. Like us on Facebook.
