We hope that it's not a stretch to say that nobody likes being accused of a crime and arrested. Regardless, it happens on a daily basis to innocent people from all walks of life. Having your liberty taken away from you and entering the criminal justice system can be a painful experience, especially if you don't have adequate legal representation. Public defenders might seem like a good option if you're short on cash, but in the long run, you'll most certainly want criminal attorneys on your side.

While you might think that criminal lawyers are an expense that you simply won't be able to afford, we'd ask you to think again. Criminal lawyers will have the most experience, resources, and motivated work ethic to help turn your bad situation into a better one. By hiring a criminal defense attorney to represent you when you've been accused of a crime, you're setting yourself up for a far better future.

Incentives Mean Everything

When it comes to hiring criminal attorneys to represent you in a case, you might be wondering if they're worth the expense. While you may gawk at the bill initially, you have to ask yourself what the price of your freedom and reputation is. Because when criminal attorneys work for you and put their equity into a case, you will more often than not get results. Payment is the quality incentive structure that we set in society for someone to complete quality labor, whether it's representing you in court or mowing a lawn.

Compare this to public defenders, who will get paid the same amount no matter what happens with your case. Unfortunately, public defenders are overloaded and overworked on an almost daily basis. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the annual caseload assigned to public defenders spanned from 50 to 590 cases. For comparison, the American Bar Association sets their recommended maximum caseload at 150 felony cases or 400 misdemeanor cases.

Experience, Experience, Experience

Depending on what crime you have been accused of, another question you want to ask yourself before going with a public defender is: "What experience does this lawyer have?" Because public defenders have to deal with cases ranging from domestic violence to drug charges, your particular case may be out of the specialization that they practice or what they concentrated on in school. This is in stark contrast to criminal attorneys that you can seek out, who more than likely work for a firm that specializes solely in the area that you have been accused of. Not only will they be able to pull the correct precedents to preside intelligently over your case, but they will have mountains of experience about what has happened in other cases (sometimes with the same judge) and what is the best plan of action moving forward.

The Price of Freedom

It is simply a matter of easily searchable public record that when you retain your own private counsel or criminal attorneys, you have a better chance of not having a jail as your new residence. Although this costs money and time, you simply do not have a lot of options to choose from at the end of the day. Criminal attorneys want to do good for you because they want to practice their business ethically, and we're willing to bet that you do not want to have only an orange jumpsuit as your main piece of clothing. No matter whether you investigate the federal courts or local jurisdictions, defendants who go with private counsel (even if they're found guilty) get better sentences and have a reduced rate of incarceration than those with public defenders.

Your One Phone Call Should be to a Lawyer

Hopefully this article has enlightened you on the importance of criminal attorneys and how they might be able to help you out in the future. No matter what you've been accused of and how bad it seems, there is someone out there who can help you and negotiate for your freedom instead of having to resign yourself to the mercy of the court system. If you're looking for stellar representation in an upcoming criminal case, please consider calling the Law Office of Vince Felletter.