The Rights Of Defendants Who Stay Broke

The rights of defendants in criminal cases apply to everyone accused of a crime. Your immigration status, criminal history or lack thereof, or financial resources or lack thereof should have no effect on the fairness of your trial, the events leading up to your guilty plea, or your sentence if you are convicted or choose to plead guilty. Everyone has the right to protection from arbitrary searches of their property and to remain silent and refuse to answer questions by police or on the witness stand. Likewise, everyone has the right to have their case move forward without unnecessary delays, so that they are not detained for long periods without trial or without being charged. You also have the right to have a lawyer represent you at trial, during questioning by police, and as you decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty and prepare the evidence and defenses for your trial. If you cannot pay the fees for a criminal defense lawyer, the court will appoint a public defender to represent you. Representation by public defenders is a legal right, but if you can, you should hire your own lawyer, because criminal defense lawyers in private practice have more time and resources to devote to each case and can provide more thorough representation. If you are facing drug charges after a prior conviction, contact a Tampa criminal defense lawyer.

You Have the Right to Due Process Even If You Have a Criminal Record, a Drug Problem, and No Money

Many criminal cases arise from a traffic stop, when a minor problem, such as an expired license plate, leads to an investigation, a search, and a cascade of allegations. It is even worse if you are on probation or have a suspended driver’s license. A 58-year-old man from Lakeland is currently reeling from a traffic stop gone bad, and it is not his first rodeo.

The trouble began when police pulled him over as he drove a Camaro he had recently bought from his girlfriend. The officer did a background check on the man after it turned out that his car was not registered. He said that he could not afford to register the car, because he “stays broke” due to drug addiction. The background check also yielded 79 pages of details about the driver’s previous criminal cases, going all the way back to 1986, when he was 18 years old. He had prior convictions for DUI, domestic violence, and numerous traffic offenses and drug cases. A search of the car yielded cannabis, amphetamine, and MDMA. In this case, as in all the others, the defendant has the right to due process of law and to representation by a criminal defense lawyer.

Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven

A criminal defense lawyer can help you get justice if you are facing criminal charges again after a traffic stop, and you hope that this trial turns out better than your previous ones.  Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.

Source:

wfla.com/news/polk-county/lakeland-man-caught-with-4-kinds-of-drugs-tells-trooper-he-stays-broke-cause-of-drug-problem-fhp/