Here's What You Can Do When Accused of a Crime
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By PAGE Editor
Sometimes innocent people are accused of crimes. When this happens, it’s essential that they take immediate action. Not acting after you are accused of a crime can make you look guilty. It can also significantly reduce your chances of getting the charges that are held against you dropped.
If you do not take action, sadly, you could actually be imprisoned. The legal system isn’t perfect. Innocent people are sent to prison on a regular basis. Some of these people spend their entire lives in prison, despite never having done anything wrong, to begin with.
This post will tell you what steps you need to take if you have been accused of a crime, so you can avoid being wrongly punished.
Contacting Lawyer
If you have been arrested, then it’s essential that you reach out to a lawyer. According to the experts over at SterlingDefense.com, even innocent people are sometimes charged with (and then subsequently convicted of) crimes that they haven’t committed. If you do not get in touch with a lawyer, then as mentioned in this post’s introduction, you could end up in a lot of trouble. Once you have explained your innocence to your lawyer, they will be able to form a defence for you, gather evidence, and negotiate on your behalf. Make sure that you shop around and find the most qualified lawyer in your area. The better your lawyer, the better your defence.
Gathering Evidence
If you haven’t yet been arrested then you should try to gather as much evidence as you can supporting your case. Usually, when somebody is falsely accused of a crime, it’s quite easy to gather evidence proving they were not responsible for committing it. Whether it’s receipts, phone bills, or purchases through your mobile banking app, you should be able to pull together enough evidence to prove you are innocent. Then, if you are ultimately arrested, you can give all of this evidence to your lawyer, proving that you have been framed.
Avoiding Contact
It is essential that you avoid all contact with the person that accused you of the crime after you have been arrested. If you try to get in touch with them, then they could report you to the police. You can actually end up being remanded in custody if you reach out to people who have accused you of crimes, post-arrest. It is likely that the person accusing you will claim that you are threatening or harassing them, even if you are not. Block their number and if they try to get in touch with you, then tell your lawyer immediately.
False Allegations
False allegations are usually made by people who want to get revenge, like ex-spouses, partners, or friends. It’s very unlikely that the person making the false allegation against you will be a stranger to you. If they are known to you, then gathering evidence should be even easier. When somebody close to you makes a false allegation, it can complicate your relationships with other people. Avoid talking about the situation with friends and family until after it has been resolved, otherwise they could feed information back to your accuser, making the situation worse.
Remaining Silent
If you are arrested and do not have a lawyer present, then remain silent. One of the biggest mistakes that innocent people make when they are arrested is to talk. People have a tendency to think that if they are telling the truth, everybody will believe them. If you say anything incriminating, even accidentally, it could give the police a reason to charge you. The police may arrest and interview you, then let you go if they think you are innocent. If you say anything stupid then you’ll be on a bus to county jail. Don’t talk until your lawyer arrives at the police station to defend you.
Behaving Maturely
Finally, make sure that you behave maturely. It’s very common for people who have been falsely accused of crimes to act childishly and arrogantly, mainly because they know that they are innocent. As has been stressed several times already, just because you know you are innocent, that does not mean that everybody else does. If you do not behave maturely, then you could make yourself look bad in the eyes of the judge, jury, and police. Making yourself look bad could lead to you being wrongly convicted, especially if you don’t have a lot of evidence to support your innocence.
People are sometimes accused of crimes that they haven’t committed. If you are unfortunate enough to have been accused of something like this, then get in touch with a lawyer, keep your mouth shut, and behave maturely.
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