“I’ve Been Arrested For A Crime, But Don’t Worry, I Got This.”- 10 Common Myths About Being Charged With a Crime

“I’ve Been Arrested For A Crime, But Don’t Worry, I Got This.”- 10 Common Myths About Being Charged With a Crime

There are dozens of myths out there surrounding the criminal justice system and what can happen if you are charged with a crime.  These myths are untrue, and without proper legal representation by an experienced criminal defense attorney, these myths could result in you making some bad decisions about your case that could lead to even worse consequences. Here are 10 things myths about being charged with a crime:

1. “This is my first offense, the prosecutor will go easy on me.”
   • Just because this is your first offense does not mean the prosecutor will go easy on you. For example, if your first offense is murder, you’re probably not going to be let off with just a warning.
2. “I’ve never been to jail before, so I won’t have to serve time.”
   • Just because you’ve never been to jail before does not mean the government won’t send you to jail. For example, many serious crimes have mandatory custody time that must be served if you are convicted, regardless of whether you’ve ever served time in the past.
3. “I can explain myself out of getting arrested.”
   • Just because you “explain” something does not mean the government is going to believe you. In fact, they will most likely find ways to show why your explanation doesn’t make sense, whether it’s true or not.
4. “If I just admit everything, they’ll go easy on me for cooperating.”
   • Just because you cooperate does not mean that the government will go easy on you. In fact, they will most likely use that cooperation against you in court.
5. “If I get convicted, I can always beat the case on appeal.”
   • An appeal is not like a “do-over.” Only limited issues can be heard and overturned on appeal and even if an appeal is granted, often times the case has to be retried rather than dismissed.
6. “If I hire the most expensive attorney, he can get my case dismissed.”
   • No attorney, no matter how affordable or expensive, can ever guarantee a result in a criminal case. No amount of money alone spent on an attorney will ever translate into your case automatically being dismissed.
7. “If the victim in my case doesn’t want to press charges, the case will be dropped.”
   • While the government may take into consideration whether a victim desires prosecution, it is ultimately the prosecutor who makes the final decision to file a case, whether an alleged victim wants them to file it or not.
8. “The police didn’t read me my Miranda rights, so my case should be dismissed.”
   • While failure to read an accused their Miranda rights might be helpful in some cases, it rarely results in a case being automatically dismissed.
9. “If I don’t show up in court, the case will eventually just go away.”
   • Just because an accused doesn’t show up in court does not mean the case goes away. Instead, an arrest warrant will likely be issued and that person will eventually be dragged into court to face the charges, one way or another.
10. “What happened wasn’t a big deal, surely I won’t be convicted.”
    • Just because you may think that something wasn’t a big deal doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a crime. Any person can be convicted on any crime, no matter how major or minor the crime seems.

Criminal defense attorney and former Riverside County prosecutor Gregory Rollins uses his unique experience and expertise to defend the rights of the accused, provide meaningful legal advice to his clients, and to fight for the best possible outcome for every client in every case.  If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, it is important to make sure that your rights (or those of your loved-one) are protected.

Contact criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Gregory Rollins to set up a free consultation.