You may be able to avoid a criminal conviction in certain circumstances.
If you have been charged with a crime, you may think that your life is effectively over — or at least your life as you know it. Having a criminal record can make it incredibly difficult to get a job, obtain a professional license and to otherwise live a productive, successful life in the future. Fortunately, there are options for people who have been charged with certain types of crimes, particularly if they hire a skilled California criminal defense lawyer to represent them.
There are several potential outcomes when you are charged with a crime. The charges could be dismissed or reduced, which may be the case if your attorney can prove to the prosecutor that the facts of your case do not support the charges. You may also be convicted of the crime at trial or accept a plea deal. If you are convicted of a crime or take a plea deal, you are typically sentenced to some sort of punishment, which can include a mix of penalties such as jail time, community service, restitution, fines and probation.
There is another option for certain offenders that can help you maintain a clean criminal record. Deferred judgment — also called deferred adjudication — is a type of plea deal where you can plead guilty and agree to go into treatment or therapy rather than going to jail or another type of punishment. Treatment and therapy programs may include anger management or alcohol or drug rehabilitation, among other options. After a period of probation, the charges will be dropped and you will not have a conviction on your record. You will still have an arrest on your criminal record, but a skilled California criminal defense lawyer may be able to have your record sealed so that it does not appear on background checks, depending on the type of crime involved.
As a general rule, you are only eligible for deferred judgment if you have been charged with a misdemeanor offense or another non-serious crime. This might include offenses such as drug possession, petty theft, shoplifting or simple assault. It is usually reserve for first-time offenders, and is commonly used with drug charges. Importantly, if you violate the terms of the probation while you are on deferred judgment — by failing to complete treatment, by using drugs or alcohol, or committing another theft, for example — you will face much more serious consequences. You will be sentenced for the original crime that you pled guilty to, and you will likely face a more serious sentence than you otherwise would have
A deferred judgment has many obvious advantages. Because you are not actually convicted of a crime, you won’t have a criminal record — making it far easier to get a job in the future as you won’t have to check the box stating that you have a criminal history. You will get to keep your driver’s license, won’t have to worry about the immigration consequences of a deportation, and other collateral consequences of a criminal conviction.
Deferred judgment may be a good option if you are a first-time offender and want to keep a clean criminal record. The Chambers Law Firm has the skill and know-how to negotiate these types of plea agreements on behalf of our clients. Contact our office today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation and learn more about how we can help you if you have been charged with a crime.
