Dan Chambers, Southern California’s top criminal defense attorney, is committed to providing all of his clients and prospective clients with all the most essential information about their felony or misdemeanor cases. That’s why he recently decided to publish a 21-part informational video series that explains many of the ins-and-outs of misdemeanor and felony cases. Check out all the videos on the Chambers Law Firm website here.
The last video and blog explained the trial process for misdemeanor trials, so now our thoughts turn to sentencing after misdemeanor trials. This next video explains many aspects of sentencing procedures. The next blog and the next video in the series impart additional information about sentencing for misdemeanor cases.
Misdemeanor – Sentencing Part 1
This video centers on one clear-cut question that just about every defendant in a criminal case has—What happens after your trial is completed?
The most pivotal piece of information to be aware of is that in California, in every single criminal case, the jury’s verdict must be unanimous. That means that all 12 jurors who hear your case must agree on either “guilty” or “not guilty” for a valid verdict to be entered in your case.
What this means for you specifically
Since the jury must rule unanimously, 3 possible outcomes are possible for your misdemeanor case.
The first one is that you are acquitted—in other words, the jury finds you “not guilty.” If this occurs, you will be protected by the Double Jeopardy clause of the federal and state constitutions. This means that the prosecution’s case is over once the “not guilty” verdict is read, and the same charge can never be filed against you again.
The second potential outcome is that there is a hung jury, meaning that the jurors are unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The split could be 11-1, 6-6, or any other variation, but anytime the jury can’t reach a complete agreement, the judge will declare a mistrial. If the judge declares a mistrial, you might need to go through the trial process all over again. Or, it’s possible that a motion could be filed in court that allows for your case to be dismissed if he or she determines that the prosecution will never be able to acquire a unanimous guilty verdict from a jury.
The third and last possibility is that you are convicted and found guilty of one or more of the charges. If the jury unanimously finds that you are guilty, your case will proceed to sentencing. During sentencing, the judge will decide what happens to you—jail time, probation, fines, or other penalties. There are many aspects to be aware of about the sentencing process.
Even if you do happen to be convicted of the charge against you, it’s essential that you have an excellent criminal defense lawyer to present you in the best possible light before the court in order to acquire the ideal result in your case. Dan Chambers is the best choice in all of Southern California because he will fight for you every step of the way.
So many questions…
More than likely, you still have so many questions buzzing around in your head about your case. We at the Chambers Law Firm completely understand! To find out more about your specific case, and the outcome you can expect to receive, schedule a free case evaluation with Dan Chambers himself. He’s always glad to meet with prospective clients to help them understand their cases.
Schedule your free case evaluation with Attorney Chambers now by calling 714-760-4088, emailing dchambers@clfca.com, or by using the chat box below.
