Being arrested and charged with a crime is often one of the most traumatic events a person will go through. The criminal justice system is not known for its compassion and can present significant challenges if unfamiliar with the process.
Fortunately, our criminal defense lawyers can help you with every step of your prosecution. A judge will determine whether to set bail depending on the crime and other factors. Once posted, you will remain free until your pretrial hearings. During that time, our firm can investigate your case and evaluate the state’s evidence against you to determine the best approach for your case.
If you have been charged with a crime, our criminal defense lawyers can help you by providing you with a free review of your case. Contact the Lombardo Law Group, LLC at (609) 445-4300.
Understanding the Criminal Justice Process in Deptford, NJ?
For many people facing criminal charges in Deptford, this arrest might mark the first time they have interacted with the criminal justice system. If you are unfamiliar with the legal process for prosecuting a crime, the experience can be harrowing, especially if facing these challenges alone. Our criminal defense lawyers are ready to stand in your corner and guide you through every phase of your case to get you the fairest outcome possible.
Arrest and Criminal Charges
While many individuals might not be familiar with the deeper levels of the prosecutorial process, most are aware that the start of a criminal case typically begins with an arrest. The underlying charges for an arrest can come about in a couple of ways. Many arrests are known as “sight” arrests, meaning law enforcement observes a crime while on patrol and makes an arrest on the scene. For instance, a sight arrest can occur in a DWI stop or when called to a domestic violence situation.
However, some arrests are the result of an investigation. In these cases, a grand jury will typically review evidence compiled during a police investigation and determine whether enough evidence supports the charges being filed. You might be under investigation if you have been questioned recently by police or had unknown attorneys contact you.
Regardless of how your arrest comes about, it is critical that you do not speak to the police. Of course, you should provide basic information like your name, but that is where the answers to questions should end. Police must read you your Miranda rights, which include the right to remain silent and the right to have an attorney present while being questioned by police. It would be best if you took full advantage of both rights. Your silence cannot be held against you in court, but something you say can easily be used against you by law enforcement.
Bail Hearing
After officially being charged with a crime, you will go through the booking process, where your biographical information will be gathered and then placed, usually in the local jail. From there, you will have an initial hearing with a bail judge. This will typically be your first opportunity to plead innocent or guilty. The bail judge will also review your case to determine what your bail should be set at if granted.
Bail judges will consider several factors when deciding whether to grant bail in a particular case. For instance, if you have a long criminal record or it is determined that you present a danger to the community, your bail might be quite high or outright denied. In other instances, bail might be denied because the defendant is a serious flight risk and might leave the country. If bail is granted, the defendant must pay a certain percentage of the bail amount to be released.
Pre-Trial Hearing
The next stage in a Deptford criminal case will be the pretrial hearing. The purpose of these pretrial conferences is to ensure the defendant grasps the charges against them and the likely sentence they could receive if convicted. At this point, you will need to decide whether it is worth taking a plea deal if one is offered, and the court will ask if you are rejecting any offers conveyed.
Getting help from our criminal defense attorneys can significantly impact how your case progresses. If evidence is lacking or your rights were violated, we can argue for your case to be dismissed or for evidence to be excluded from being used in the state’s prosecution.
Criminal Trial
A criminal trial will be inevitable if a plea agreement is not worked out or the case is not dismissed in a pretrial motion hearing. The burden is on the state to prove that you committed the crime. The evidence must show that it is beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the crime for which you were charged.
This means that in most cases, the best strategy is not to testify in your own defense. Instead, our criminal defense attorneys will cross-examine the state’s witnesses against you and build a defense that we can make during closing arguments. Our criminal defense lawyers will fight for your rights every step of the way and work to get your case dismissed.
Common Types of Cases that Our Deptford, NJ Criminal Defense Lawyers Handle
Our criminal defense attorneys have years of experience crafting the strongest defenses possible in a wide variety of cases. Regardless of the severity of the charges, our team can help gather evidence and expose the cracks in the case against you. The following are the types of cases that our criminal attorneys handle in Deptford:
- Drug cases
- Assault cases
- Traffic violation cases
- Illegal weapons cases
- DWI cases
- Disorderly conduct cases
- Resisting arrest cases
- Internet crimes
- Juvenile cases
- White-collar crimes
- Domestic violence cases
Many of these types of cases have hefty sentences if convicted. Our criminal defense attorneys are standing by and ready to begin working on your case immediately.
Our Deptford, NJ Criminal Defense Lawyers Can Help
If you are facing criminal charges in Deptford, our criminal defense lawyers can help ensure your rights are protected while fighting your charges. For a free case assessment, call the Lombardo Law Group, LLC today at (609) 445-4300.
