Receiving a criminal charge can be an overwhelming and frightening experience. It is natural for you to feel like your world has been turned upside down, but the reality of it is that this will not last forever. The most important thing that you can do in order to move forward from this moment is to know what your options are so that you can make a decision about how best to proceed with your life. In this blog post, here are some ways to go about just that.
Seek Legal Counsel
As a result of your charge, whether or not you have been convicted yet, the first thing that you need to do is seek legal counsel. The reason for this should be fairly obvious; after all, someone who has gone through criminal law training will know how it works and what your options are better than anyone else. Obviously, since they specialize in these types of cases every day, a lawyer can give you advice on what to expect moving forward so that you are able to make an informed decision about where to go from here. However, if finances prohibit hiring such an attorney one option would be to find yourself a good paralegal. Good paralegals often work as assistants for lawyers and therefore may also have access to information regarding your case. Paralegals are not as legally trained as lawyers but they can still offer you some great advice and help to prepare you for what lies ahead!
Expunge Your Records
Another option that you have once the dust surrounding your criminal charge has settled is to try and expunge any records of it. A criminal record expungement means having certain information removed from public databases so as to not be able to affect future employment or other types of opportunities for yourself in a negative way. If, however, no charges were actually filed against you, then you are able to apply for a full expungement. This is good news because it means that your record will be wiped clean completely.
Community Service
Community service also has many benefits including but not limited to giving back to society, helping to improve both your physical and mental health, as well as developing a sense of gratitude. While community service is somewhat different from the other options that I have mentioned here today because it does not really address any sort of legal issues directly, it can be extremely beneficial in terms of moving forward with your life after receiving a criminal charge.
You don’t need to be at a stand still in your life after being charged with a crime. There are ways to improve yourself and move forward to have the same opportunities in life as you otherwise would.