Being charged with any criminal offense is a frightening experience and certainly, cause for concern about the future. If you have been charged with a violent crime, however, you have even more reason to be frightened and concerned about the outcome of your case. The best thing you can do for yourself and for your future is to retain the services of an experienced Nebraska violent crime attorney as soon as possible. If you have never before needed to hire a criminal defense lawyer, you may be wondering exactly how a violent crime lawyer can help you.
What Is a “Violent Crime?”
When most people hear the term “violent crime” used, they can provide their own definition of the term as it is fairly self-explanatory. Just to clarify, however, the term “violent crime” actually has a formal definition used by the federal government as well. In the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes are defined in the UCR Program as those offenses which involve force or threat of force.
Steps Your Violent Crime Lawyer May Take to Help You
Unless you have been arrested several times before, you may not really know what steps a criminal defense attorney takes to help an accused. Just a few of the steps your Nebraska violent crime lawyer may take to help you include:
- Requesting a bond review – as a general rule, a defendant’s bond is set higher when the crime involved is a violent crime. The reason for this is that the severity of the crime is usually higher and the potential threat to the community greater. Consequently, you may not be able to pay the bond initially set in your case meaning you are stuck in custody. An attorney can file the proper documents asking the court to set a hearing to review your bond.
- Convincing the judge to release you – convincing a judge to lower your bond to an amount you can make is not always an easy feat. An attorney, however, knows what the judge needs to hear and see to make that happen. Often, the simple fact that you hired an attorney helps because it tells the judge that you are invested in your defense which means you are less likely to fail to appear for future court dates.
- Discussing possible defense strategies with you — defending violent crime cases often requires a different approach than defending non-violent charges. For example, in a violent crime case, there is almost always a victim involved. How that victim is handled can have a significant impact on the outcome of your case. Attacking the victim is rarely the right approach; however, making the victim appear unreliable and/or indecisive is important. It can be a true art form to achieve the desired result without appearing to blame the victim. An experienced violent crime lawyer should be up to the challenge.
- Negotiating a plea agreement that reduces the severity of the charges – if a conviction is imminent, your violent crime lawyer will try and negotiate a plea agreement that reduces the severity of the charges because he/she understands the long-term consequences and impact of having a violent crime conviction on your record.
- Defending you a trial and securing a “not guilty” verdict – the goal of every criminal defense attorney should be to avoid a conviction entirely for their client. If you have made the decision to take your case to trial, having an attorney that understands how to approach a violent crime case is imperative. The strategies involved and the decisions made in a violent crime case will not be the same as they would be if the case involved non-violent charges. Having a violent crime lawyer on your side can mean the difference between celebrating a not guilty verdict at the end of the trial and going to prison after a guilty verdict.
Contact a Violent Crime Lawyer at Petersen Law Office
If you have been charged with a violent criminal offense in the State of Nebraska, consult with an experienced Nebraska violent crime lawyer as soon as possible to ensure that your rights are protected. In Nebraska contact Petersen Criminal Defense Law 24 hours a day at 402-509-8070 to discuss your case.
Attorney Petersen was invited to join the National Advocacy for DUI Defense (NAFDD) organization in 2013. NAFDD vets thousands of lawyers and only chooses those who have achieved stellar results in DUI defense cases. Attorney Petersen was named one of the Top 50 defense attorneys in Nebraska out of more than 5,000.
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