Prove The Following To Mitigate Your Drug Charges And Sentencing
Many people get charged with drug-related crimes every year, but not all of them face the exact same charges and penalties. The circumstances of your alleged crime and your actions determine the severity of your drug case. Here are a few tips to help you mitigate your drug charges.
It's Your First Offense
For most crimes, the first charges don't attract as harsh penalties as the subsequent crimes. Thus, you can mitigate your charges and penalties if you can prove to the court that you have never committed a drug-related crime before. It's even better if you can prove that you have never committed any crime before the present charges.
You Were an Accessory
Even if two or more people combine to commit a crime, they are unlikely to play the same roles. For crimes committed by multiple people, those who play the major roles get harsher penalties than those who play minor roles. Say that a friend convinces you to try illegal drugs for the first time. The friend sources for the drugs and pays for them with their own money. You then take one snort of the drugs while the friend consumes the rest.
In this case, you are a minor player in the crime relative to your friend. Thus, if you can prove your minor role, the court may go easy on you compared to your friend.
No One Was Hurt
Drug crimes cause a lot of hurts not only to society but to individual members of society as well. People steal for drugs, others become violent and assault others when intoxicated, and others neglect or abuse their families. The more your drug crime has hurt others, the more your penalties are likely to be.
For example, if you shared your illegal drugs with a minor, your penalties will be harsh because your actions hurt the minor. Thus, minimizing the effect of your crime on others may help you get mitigated charges.
The Drugs Were for Personal Use
If you are caught with illegal drugs, the purpose of the drugs determines the charges and penalties you receive. Drugs meant for personal use attract lower penalties than drugs meant for distribution or for sale. Thus, convince the court that you intended to use the drugs and your charges and penalties will be mitigated.
The best thing that could happen to you after a criminal arrest is to get the charges dismissed or win the case. The next best thing is to face mitigated charges and penalties. Hopefully, the tips above will help you do just that. Reach out to a criminal defense lawyer to learn more.