|
Sentencing Alternatives: Are there other sentencing alternatives for
me besides jail?
I hate jail. My personal goal for all of my clients is to eliminate jail completely, or
minimize the amount of time my clients must spend in jail or in prison.
Many lawyers promise you that they will explore other sentencing alternatives besides
jail. That's an easy promise to make, because many options are available under the law to
anyone who qualifies under specific guidelines set forth by the court, the Legislature,
the probation department, or the jails.
When I work with a client, it's important that we outline specific goals for the
client, considering he or she is faced with a life-changing, usually horrible set of
choices. Let's face it, who wants to have to go to court to defend a criminal case? Given
that we're not dealing with the best of all possible circumstances, it's very important
for my clients to help me understand where their priorities are, so I can put my efforts
into accomplishing what's valuable to them.
For instance, some people are most concerning with not having a conviction on their
record. Other people don't mind a conviction, if
|
|
|
they can make sure it's cleared or sealed
(sometimes erroneously called "expunged") in a couple of years when they'll be
making a job change. Other people need to know that they won't miss too much work because
of court, or that they'll be able to keep their job even if they have some sort of
sentence to serve. Still others have childcare, education or licensing issues that are
most important for them to protect. Others have a priority to see that they (finally) get
their driver's license back, so they can stop getting little tickets that pile up and up
and up....
Many of my clients find that they have drug and alcohol addiction or psychological
issues to address. Others need professional help in controlling temper, range and anger. I
can assist you in identifying these issues, and help guide you (if you want) to and work
with professionals in the psychological, psychiatric, or recovery areas. Successful work
by you on these personal issues may 1) enable the court to show you leniency where
leniency may not have been easy to get otherwise, and 2) allow you to deal with the source
of a recurring, debilitating problem in your life which you've never before had motivation
to control.
Whatever your personal issues are, I can work with you to make sure you've identified
them clearly, and then structure our work on the case around your own priorities. What's
right for one person is absolutely the wrong approach for another. All alternatives that
are right for you, will be discussed, explored, and fought for in court and out of court.
For a free consultation
and a valuable insight about your case, call me at (303) 831-0646 or
e-mail me at
edward_harris@not-guilty.us
|