If you know you are guilty, what do you do--confess and throw yourself on the mercy of the court, take whatever sentence the judge gives you, hire a lawyer and get the best deal you can, fight it in court, say you are innocent, jump bail, flee the jurisdiction, or what? This is only a hypothetical.
2006-10-01 14:54:19 · 31 answers · asked by jxt299 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Your question represents a classic misconception many people have in the United States regarding guilt or innocence. The fact is, according to the US legal system, you are not guilty of any crime until declared to be guilty by a judge or jury. That does not mean you did not commit the crime, however.
Now, if you DID commit the crime (and again, I remind you that you not "guilty" at that point), the best course of action would be to seek the advice of an attorney. The US Supreme Court has said, time after time, that a person is at an extreme disadvantage in the criminal justice system. It is therefore extremely important to have an attorney examine your case, and defend you. To quote Powell V. Alabama (287 US 45 [1932]):
"Even the intelligent and educated layman has small and sometimes no skills in the science of law. If charged with a crime, he is incapable, generally, of determining for himself whether the indictment is good or bad. He is unfamiliar with the rules of evidence. Left without the aid of counsel, he may be put on trial with out a proper charge, and convicted upon incomplete evidence, or evidence irrelevant to the issue…Without [aid of counsel], though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence."
Such concepts were what the concept of indigent defense with in the United States was established upon. The layman simply does not have the knowledge needed to determine the issues that could be crucial to his case, therefore they need an attorney.
-Saffyre
2006-10-01 15:06:21 · answer #1 · answered by the_vampiress_saffyre 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If I knew I was guilty and they had all of the facts correct I would confess to the crime and ask the judge for lenience, however if I was guilty and they did not have the facts right, I would not give them nothing they did not have and I would hire an attorney and get the charges knocked down.
2006-10-01 15:04:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shut up except to ask for a lawyer. Plead not guilty and never admit to anyone but your lawyer that you were even within twenty miles of the scene of the crime. Found innocent or guilty you never admit your guilty.
2006-10-01 16:44:52 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well the first thing i would do is talk with a lawyer (hypothetically)so there is no trail against me then if i didnt like his advice i could easily start over and speak for myself,if i murdered someone for good reason i would explain my reasoning to the court and hope they see it the way i did but if i stole or something like that i would just pay the fine or whatever and get it over with.
2006-10-01 14:57:44 · answer #4 · answered by †Fakey McFakerson♥ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stupid answer: Run like hell
Smart answer: Confess(depending on the degree of legality)
If it's something small then confess. If you are facing a few months/years of jail time then try to fight it if you want. Just realize that if you lose after fighting that you usually get a longer sentence.
2006-10-01 14:56:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
first of all i would plead guilty if i did it. then be prepared to pay the consequences. you should however have a lawyer to help you with the legal stuff. if you have no prior record and if the crime was not a major crime, most likely you would get an easy sentence or probation.
2006-10-01 15:08:06 · answer #6 · answered by mo_nut53 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This all depends on the charges, what information my lawyer gives me, the nature of the crime (is it a crime against nature, against the norms of society, what?) and the odds I have of getting off if I plead not guilty.
Only hypothetical, say you. But very vague. Much evil is done under cloak of the law, and there are many who are "guilty" of breaking man's law, but not God's.
Be more specific, if you would, please.
2006-10-01 14:57:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
get a lawyer and try to get the best deal from the courts. your going to go to prison anyway may as well get the best deal. if you run you will be eventually caught. maybe one day when your 60 you get pulled over for a driving infraction, they run you and off to prison you go as an old man. do the time now get it over with change your life.
2006-10-01 15:05:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hire a lawyer, they know what to do. Actually, some people get away with murder by hiring a lawyer.
2006-10-01 15:03:50 · answer #9 · answered by tiger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get the best lawyer I could and weigh whatever options I might have. Plea bargain ? Plead innocent ? Plead guilty ? .. It would depend. Good Luck ! :)
2006-10-01 14:57:21 · answer #10 · answered by tysavage2001 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋