HERE COMES A POST FROM A FORMER PROSECUTOR!
So this is for you out there who are non criminals and who are not used to the so called (system).
And this is also for you parents out there who have young adults who are over the age of 18.
So here comes a really good advise from a former prosecutor about what to do and what not to do, when being questioned by the police or detectives.
Please understand that you have the right to have a lawyer present for all questing and you should without a doubt take them up on that.
I know that many law enforcement operators will say to a suspect (if you have nothing to hide) talk to us and we will help you out!.
This is total BS , the detectives and the police are allowed to lie to you , and they are not there to help you in any way shape or form.
The only thing you should utter to the police or the detectives if you are being detained should be ,I WANT MY LAWYER PRESENT DURING THE QUESTIONING.
And if you can not afford a lawyer , a court appointed lawyer will be issued to you.
I usually recommend that you try and get a criminal defense lawyers card and contact information and always carry that information on you, no matter where you are.
So if something happens you can ask for your lawyer to be contacted.
If your lawyer can not be reached at that time you can go with the public defender until you can get a hold of your own lawyer.
You dont need to opt for a 500 dollar an hour lawyer, a 100 dollar an hour criminal defense lawyer will be fine.
Even at this price range you will find very sharp criminal defense lawyers out there.
Also a bit older lawyers is good to use, since they have pretty much seen it all before.
There are great younger lawyers out there also, but the older once have more experience.
But please make sure that they are a criminal defense lawyer, since the law is very different between corporate, criminal defense and divorce for say.
The problem is that if you talk to a the cops and you are guilty they will get you on that, and also if you are not a harden criminal you know you did something bad and you would like to get that of your chest like so many good people would.
Here is the problem with that, you can be guilty of a crime, but there can be a hundred different reasons why you committed that crime.
And you could have been provoked or it was and accident, but it is still considered a crime.
And always take the time to consult you lawyer before answering any questions from the police.
And the only questions you should answer the police without a lawyer present is your name and social security number.
You should not be rude or scream or behave badly towards the arresting officers or the detectives, just say these words, i want my lawyer presents before i answer any questions for you.
So for you parents out there who have young adults who have turned 18, make sure you get them a criminal defense lawyers card and contact info and even maybe put a 500 dollar retainer down with the lawyer.
When i worked as a prosecutor for over 30 years time, I SAW so many people get jammed up , because they wanted to do the right thing , but they had no lawyer present for the questioning and in ended up badly for a lot of them, just due to this one fact.
The difference in what kind of (deal) or sentencing you can get, can wary from probation up to 5 -10 years in prison for the same crime.
So it is that big of a difference if you have a good criminal defense lawyer or not present during questioning.
This is not a blog post on hating or disliking the police, but they are not your friend when you have been arrested they are your enemy there and then, dont you never forget that!.
It can be as simple as you step into a car that has drugs or guns in it, without you knowing anything about that, and when the police makes a traffic stop, the two other people in the car says they the drugs and the guns belongs to you.
So now you are 18-19 years of age and risking 5-10 years of hard time, do not talk to the police on your own without a lawyer present during the questioning.
Any time you get taken down to the station it is a very serious thing, and no joke, your future is on the line, and the cops will do what ever it takes to get you to give up as much information as possible that they can use later against you i a court of law.
And they then hand it over to the prosecutor, and 98% of all cases in the US , is being pleaded out, otherwise the court system would come to a very quick halt!.
But if you are innocent you should not take a plea deal, if it is prison time on the table.
But let your lawyer advise you on what to do, based on how the evidence looks against you.
This is if you are innocent.
But if you are guilty to let us say you threw a punch outside of a bar fight protecting your girlfriend who was being harassed, depending on the injuries to the (victim) this could either be self defense or in worst case manslaughter if the person you hit, hits his head on the pavement and dies.
And it can be battery if he ends up in the hospital.
So there are so many scenarios out there that can happen, and most of them happens on Friday or Saturday night, and there is usually also alcohol involved.
So always teach your kids from a very young age, that never confess to a crime without a lawyer present.
I understand that it will feel odd, when you are asking for a lawyer, and you have to wait in jail, until the lawyers arrives.
But do not for a second doubt that this is the right thing to do, when you are starring down the barrel of a gun, that a lengthy prison sentence is.
Please also understand that the police /cops are experts in getting people to confess, there is the well known method of a good cop , bad cop , but there are an additional 10 very advanced techniques that they can use to get you to confess.
Remember they are the law, and they do this every single day.
And they will not hesitate to trip you up, and close the case.
Really good detectives will read you as a person and then decide what technique to use on you.
They will size you up inside 10 min of talking to you.
This is why you don talk to the police more than just say, i want my lawyer and here is my social security number, and i will not answer any more questions without my lawyer present in the room, respectfully.
Never ever rat on your friends even if the police offers you to walk if you do that, you will lose all credibility for life within your community if you do that!.
I mean if they are your real friends BFF, .
SO WHAT YOU SHOULD AS A READER AND A PARENT TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE FROM A FORMER PROSECUTOR, IS THAT NEVER EVER LET YOUR YOUNG ADULTS LEAVE FOR A NIGHT ON THE TOWN WITHOUT THE CONTACT INFORMATION TO A CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER.,it might end up saving their lives.
Thank you for Reading.
Mrlifeadvise.
