THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ENTERING INTO A PLEA BARGAIN

Posted by Joseph Franks on March 20th, 2020

If you’ve been arrested and accused with a Kansas criminal offense, you no doubt want your ordeal to be over as soon as possible with the lightest available penalties forced. To that end, you may be tempted to enter into an agreement with prosecutors to beg guilty to your charges. By entering into a plea bargain, you think you can escape paying legal fees; minimize the risk of receiving severer consequences and move forward with your daily life routine.

Think again about it. Far from “easy way out” an ill-considered plea bargain can actually make things much tougher for you and lead to worse problems than the ones you might be facing at the moment. Make sure you make no mistake, entering into a plea agreement means that you are saying the court   and the world that you are guilty of a criminal offense you are charged with. While you may be able to walk out of the courthouse after your guilty petition, you may not be able to walk away from the long-term influence of your decision.

Significances of Pleading Guilty

Once you plead guilty to your criminal charge, you will be having a criminal conviction on your record. Having a criminal record can significantly delay with your future and become a substantial burden in several important respects.

A criminal conviction is going to follow you for the rest of your life. Prospective employers who conduct criminal background checks will see your conviction and may decide not to hire you built on your history, especially if the crime you pled guilty to includes fraud or untrustworthiness. Some Kansas criminal convictions may make you ineligible for several kinds of employment or educational opportunities. A plea bargain can also have severe implications for your immigration status and put you at danger for deportation.

You May Have Defenses and Options You Haven’t Measured

Because a guilty plea will have numerous profound effects on your life, it is not a decision to take carelessly. Representing yourself or negotiating with the prosecutor without an experienced defense lawyer could be a mistake. It is dangerous that you consult with a criminal defense attorney before you agree to anything with a prosecutor. Your lawyer can not only explain the many significances of your plea, he or she can also provide you with other options you may not understand exist.

Prominently, your Criminal Defense Attorney Overland Park, KS may advise you that you have a strong defense to the charges against you. No matter how bleak you think your condition is, an experienced lawyer may see things differently. Your defense attorney may be able to identify any number of mistakes made by police which could call into question the legitimacy of your arrest and ultimately, the feasibility of the charges based on that arrest. He or she may be able to challenge the truth of witness testimony or move to have critical evidence deemed inadmissible.