If you are facing criminal charges, you might\nthink that a conviction is inevitable, especially if you know you committed the\noffense. A prosecutor might approach you and pressure you to plead guilty –\npossibly at your very first hearing. There are several reasons why you should\nnever plead guilty to anything this early in the process and without reviewing\nyour options with a skilled Poughkeepsie criminal defense lawyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, even if you committed a crime, there\nstill might be strong defenses available in your case. For example, if you are\nfacing drug possession charges and the police obtained the drugs through an\nunlawful search, a defense attorney can work to keep that evidence out of\ncourt. If the prosecutor is relying on that evidence, they might drop your\ncharges altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, prosecutors regularly offer defense\nattorneys plea agreements for their clients. These might involve reducing\ncharges, dropping certain charges, or avoiding jail time in exchange for a\nguilty plea. Prosecutors will usually never offer such a deal to an\nunrepresented defendant, so you can receive significantly harsher penalties if\nyou plead guilty without your own lawyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Convictions of certain types of offenses can\nlead to a removal case for non-citizens. As soon as you are released from jail,\nyou might be turned right over to immigration officials. You should be certain\nthat you know all possible immigration consequences of a guilty plea and\ndiscuss these with your attorney if you are not a U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n