A criminal record will continue to have an impact on your life long after your time in jail is over. It will follow you around for the rest of your life in many cases, affecting your ability to travel, work and hold relationships. It is even harder to leave your past behind now with the growth of the internet when people can look up criminal records online. There is often no escaping from your criminal past, which means that people who do not know you will make judgments on you depending on your prior convictions.
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Of course, the best thing to do is not to get into any trouble with the law in the first place, but in reality, that is much easier said than done and things can and will happen that you wish didn’t. However, if you have been charged with a felony in Riverside County, there may be ways to get felony criminal charges dropped. If not dropped, you may be able to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor in Riverside County, which gives you a much better chance of continuing life without judgment for your past behaviors.
Does a felony criminal charge automatically mean jail time?
A felony is defined as a crime that can result in a sentence of one year or more in prison or several years of felony probation through the Department of Corrections, as determined by the court. Bear in mind that this does not even take into consideration the substantial fines that are typically assessed in addition to each sentence.
Unlike felonies, misdemeanors are subject to only limited punishments, such as jail time of up to one year for a first-degree misdemeanor, and only up to 60 days for a second-degree misdemeanor, and probation for up to one year for a first-degree misdemeanor, and only up to six months for a second-degree misdemeanor which is monitored by the local County Probation office, as well as comparatively small fines.If you have a choice between the two, always choose the misdemeanor because it will take less time and money in the long run and will most likely not prevent you from obtaining a job or furthering your education.
How To Get Felony Criminal Charges Reduced In Riverside?
If an experienced criminal defense attorney such as John L. Michaels helps you to get your criminal charges dropped or reduced in Riverside at one of the many courthouses they operate in, you will see some remarkable benefits.
You can truthfully state that you have never been convicted of a felony. This is a big deal for so many aspects of your life, such as when you are looking for a new job or fighting for custody of a child in the case of a relationship breakdown. As long as there is no adjudication of guilt, you can apply to have your criminal record sealed, or in some cases even expunged, and this means that it will be hidden from the public.
How do you fight felony criminal charges in Riverside County?
First things first, you need a criminal defense attorney with years of experience and success under their belts. When it comes to looking for one, look no further than John L. Michaels. John L. Michels is the best criminal defense attorney in Riverside County due to his previous experience as a prosecutor, his relationships with current prosecutors, and his familiarity with the courthouses in Riverside, Temecula, Murrieta, Banning and Indio. He knows exactly what you need to do to help your case, whether you are hoping to get felony domestic violence charged reduced or dropped or you want to fight felony sex crime charges in Riverside.
How does a felony get reduced to a misdemeanor in Riverside County?
A felony charge can be reduced to a misdemeanor charge as a result of a plea deal, an error discovered by the arresting officer or via investigations, or by maintaining good behavior if probation was imposed as a punishment for the offense.
The offense must first be considered “wiggle room,” meaning that it is one that is eligible for a misdemeanor charge in the first place, before the felony can be reduced to a misdemeanor charge. For example, a Federal crime as serious as terrorism will never be reduced to a misdemeanor. Many sex offenses and particularly violent crimes are classified purely as felonies, regardless of whether they occur in Federal or State courts.
Listed below are the two primary methods by which a felonious offense might be reduced to a misdemeanor:
Plea bargains: You may be able to negotiate a plea agreement with the assistance of an experienced Criminal Defense Attorney such as John L. Michaels, which will lessen the severity of your charges. Overall, you can bargain with the prosecution so that you will accept responsibility for some of your charges only if they are reduced to misdemeanors, rather than felonies. The prosecution may be interested in your deal because it saves them time and ensures that they will have a win on their side. Not only that, but they want something to show off to their law enforcement officers as well as the rest of the community, especially if you look at how to get a felony child endangerment charge dropped.
Charges were entered incorrectly: Your crime could be classified as a felony when it is actually a misdemeanor due to an error made by the arresting officer or subsequent investigations. For example, if the injury inflicted upon the victim is determined to be not serious enough to constitute a crime, the charge of assault may be reduced, as long as the injury does not rise to the level of aggravated assault.
For more information on how to fight felony theft crime charges in Riverside or get felony drug crime charges reduced or dropped in any of the following courthouses: Riverside, Temecula, Murrieta, Banning, and Indio, get in touch with John L. Michaels today. By choosing John L. Michels as your criminal defense attorney, you’ll have the best chance to get felony criminal charges reduced or dropped altogether and keep on living your life.
