When you are facing criminal charges, your defense strategy has to be carefully planned. You have to think about several points when you are trying to come up with a defense plan.
There are several questions that can help you along the way when you are trying to decide what to do. Consider these questions to get you started:
What is the goal of your defense?
You have to have possible goals for your defense. The first is that you can work toward being found not guilty. Not all criminal defense cases have this goal. Some defendants acknowledge that they committed the crime in question. In this case, the goal of the defense becomes minimizing the penalties that the defendant will have to face if he or she is convicted.
How do you need to present your side of the case?
Once you have determined the goal of your defense, you must decide how you are going to present your side of the case. The case must be based on fact, but how you present the facts can have an impact on how they are perceived. Think about how a jury might view the same defense if you present it in different ways.
How can you prepare for your defense?
If your case is going to go to trial, you will need to decide how you will prepare for your time in court. Your defense attorney can help you to run through mock trials so that you can learn how to address any possible issues that you are going to face. This is also a good time to learn what might happen during the trial.
Source: FindLaw, “Criminal Defense Strategies,” accessed April 14, 2017
