Las Vegas Criminal Attorney
If you are arrested, almost all experienced criminal defense attorneys strongly advise you to take full advantage of your constitutional right to remain silent. Despite reading your rights to you, law enforcement officials nevertheless rely on tricks and intimidation to obtain statements and even confessions of guilt from suspects. Even the most innocent response to a question from the police may be used against you. So be polite, but remain silent. If you are charged with a crime in the greater Las Vegas area, you need an experienced Las Vegas criminal defense attorney who will fight to protect your legal rights, answer your questions about criminal defense procedures, and pursue an aggressive defense on your behalf.
How to Handle the Police
If you are pulled over by the police while driving your car, position your hands on top of your steering wheel. Police officers very much like to see your hands. You’ll probably be asked to produce your license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. You should cooperate. When officers are persuaded that they have “probable cause” to search your vehicle, they do not need a warrant. Don’t offer resistance, but politely establish that you do not consent to a search. Then call an attorney immediately.
If law enforcement officers come to your door, in most cases you do not have to let them enter unless they can produce a warrant. Of course, if someone is screaming for help or if gunfire is going off in your home, the police are coming in. But in most situations, don’t let them inside, and don’t go outside. Stay on your side of the door. If you are arrested outside and you need something like keys, a wallet, or a purse, they’ll have to accompany you inside, and that might be considered consent to a search. If the police come to your door with suspicious or accusatory questions, whether they arrest you or not, call an attorney as soon as you can.
As a criminal investigation proceeds, detectives and investigators use social media to confirm links between suspects, verify or deny alibis, and uncover statements, pictures, and videos that implicate suspects. Everyone needs to understand that nothing posted online is ever really private – even though you have so-called “privacy” settings – and nothing that you delete is ever really deleted. It’s all recorded somewhere. If you have engaged in criminal activity and there’s online evidence of it, you can be certain that the police will find that evidence and use it against you.
If you’ve been charged with a crime in the Las Vegas area, or if you are suspected of a crime and you are under investigation, you should refrain from posting anything online or even using social media. Instead, speak with a good criminal defense lawyer who can develop an effective defense strategy, question witnesses and gather evidence on your behalf, and fight aggressively for the justice you need and deserve. Know your rights, be smart about what you post online, and if you’re under investigation, speak at once with an experienced Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer.
What Are Your Rights?
Since the famous 1966 Supreme Court decision in Miranda vs. Arizona, police officers have been required by law to read your “Miranda” rights if you have been formally arrested and if they want to interrogate you. Your Miranda rights include: the right to remain silent and to understand that whatever you say can be used against you in court; the right to have a lawyer present during any interrogation; and the right to have a lawyer appointed for you if you cannot afford one. It doesn’t matter where an interrogation takes place; if a person is in police custody, the police must read the person’s Miranda rights prior to any interrogation. However, if you are not an arrest target, no Miranda warning is required. You still have your rights – but the police aren’t required to read them if you’re not being arrested. Sneaky police officers will sometimes question suspects and pretend that no arrest is imminent. They hope to obtain incriminating information – and then make an arrest – before they are required to read the Miranda rights.
What you must not do when you’re being arrested is to resist arrest in any way. Resisting arrest includes: attempting to flee from police; striking or attempting to strike the arresting officers(s); physically resisting being handcuffed; talking over a police officer; or trying to grab an officer’s weapon.
While you have no reasonable expectation of privacy behind bars, you nevertheless retain these other rights:
- The right to read: Prisoners have the right to receive legal publications and communications from their attorneys.
- Discrimination protections: The Fourteenth Amendment protects those in jail or prison from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or religious affiliation.
- Protection from cruel and unusual punishment: The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners must be provided with adequate food and housing by jail or prison authorities.
- Due process: The Fifth Amendment says that a criminal suspect must go through the due process of law before being fined, jailed, or executed. You retain the right to due process – including the right to speak with an attorney – even in prison. An inmate may appeal a criminal conviction, a sentence, or an administrative action by prison staff. Prisoners who qualify have the right to be considered for parole.
It goes without saying that no matter how many rights you enjoy behind bars, freedom is better. If you are arrested and charged with a crime in the Las Vegas area, politely exercise your right to remain silent, and do not try to act as your own attorney.
Why Are The Innocent Convicted?
Wrongful convictions happen for a number of reasons – false or coerced confessions and corrupted lab evidence, for example – but overwhelmingly, the leading reason for wrongful convictions is eyewitness misidentification. Unreliable informant testimony is the number two reason for wrongful convictions according to the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project also insists that race and class are sometimes elements in wrongful conviction scenarios.
Yes, the legal system is designed to punish the guilty and acquit the innocent. But the legal system is just people, and as you’ve noticed, people aren’t perfect. Cops make mistakes, crimes often go unsolved, and innocent people like you are sometimes wrongly convicted. If you’re charged with a crime in the Las Vegas area – whether you’re guilty or innocent – exercise your right to remain silent and insist on your right to have an attorney. Then get the legal help you are very much going to need and contact an experienced Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer as quickly as possible.
Always be candid and frank with your defense attorney. The important thing is following your attorney’s advice and thoughtfully considering his or her recommendations. Lawyer-client confidentiality covers all of your communications with your defense lawyer, so if your lawyer asks for the whole story, you can tell it without fear. However, be certain that what you say to your lawyer is actually the truth, because if you mislead your attorney and have to change your story later, it makes defending you effectively much more difficult.
An Experienced Las Vegas Criminal Attorney
Criminal cases require serious representation. Not every lawyer has the skill and talent to defend you effectively in a criminal courtroom trial; the skill and talent of your lawyer will have an impact on the outcome of your case. When you hire the Fletcher Firm, you hire a trial team with extensive experience in defending cases at both the pre-trial stage and in the courtroom. Maysoun Akram Fletcher has received the Martindale-Hubbell AV-Preeminent Rating, the highest possible rating for an attorney in the United States. With the resources of an impressive team of experienced criminal defense attorneys practicing in both state and federal court systems, the Fletcher Firm is a full-service law firm ready to provide the finest legal counsel and services in your criminal defense case. The Fletcher Firm will bring the best possible resolution to your criminal case. Even the accusation of the most minor kind of criminal activity can dramatically and negatively impact your future. We know that criminal charges can cause many to feel agony, fear, and hopelessness. Rest assured, the Fletcher Firm knows how to defend against even the toughest charges and how to guide your case through the justice system with your best interests in mind. We help you to deal with the many obstacles and potential pitfalls in the criminal justice system. The Fletcher Firm is available to you and will provide you with the courtesy and respect, the hard work, and the dogged determination you should expect when working alongside an experienced criminal defense attorney. We have both the training and the expertise to properly assist you with a variety of criminal charges including: drug offenses, domestic violence, solicitation, battery, DUI, and other criminal charges.
Call Today for a Free Consultation
At the Fletcher Firm, we offer savvy, aggressive defense representation for those charged with criminal offenses in state and federal courts. Our experienced Nevada criminal defense attorneys will not hesitate to take a case to court if the best possible outcome cannot otherwise be negotiated. Call us for your discrete, honest, and free legal consultation today at (702) 835-1542 or at (702) 333-6339, or fill out the Free Case Evaluation form on this website. We’ll give you a fast, thorough reply. If you need legal help regarding any kind of criminal law matter, speak with the Fletcher Firm as quickly as possible. Hear our latest ad!
