Archive for January, 2011
Criminal Law – Criminal Convictions and Sentencing
A criminal conviction will occur when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime and comes to a final verdict. An acquittal is the opposite of a conviction. There are some flaws in the criminal justice system and ocasionally innocent people are convicted and guilty people are actually acquitted. This is why appeals have been put in place to avoid and mitigate this problem, if and when it arises. A mistake made by the criminal justice system that results in a conviction of an innocent person is known as a miscarriage of justice.
After a defendant is convicted, the court in which they are tried in, will make a decision about the most suitable sentence in the form of a punishment. However, some convictions can lead to ramifications outside of the sentence which is given, this is called collateral consequences of criminal charges. Such convictions can be called minor convictions, which are in really only just a warning conviction and does not really affect the defendant. A person with several convictions on their record will have more collateral consequences of the criminal charges, and a history of convictions are call antecedents or ‘previous’ convictions. Despite minor convictions not affecting the defendant too much, they still show on a person’s record as a previous conviction.
A defendant is sentenced by a judge after they have either pleaded guilty to a criminal offence or been found guilty of a criminal offence following a court trial. A judge or a magistrate will make the decision as to the suitable sentence for the defendant’s offence that they committed, by taking into account different important factors, including the facts of the case, the maximum penalty and any sentencing guidelines punished. The law relating to the criminal justice system is largely found in the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 has aimed to provide understandable and more variable sentencing guidelines.The act has included the purposes of sentencing; the principles behind sentencing, for example, the reduction in sentence for a guilty plea, the principles relating to previous convictions and offences committed whilst on bail, and statutory aggravating factors; terms relating to different types of sentence and when they may be applied; terms relating to the sentencing of dangerous offenders; and provisions in relation to release of offenders.
The 2003 Act also sets out the maximum sentences for specific offences, the most severe penalty a court can grant and the maximum sentences all depend on the seriousness of the offence. For offences such as murder, robbery and some sexual offences, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. These maximum penalties are meant to be applied to the most serious and extreme criminal cases and it is the judge or magistrates duty to decide the suitable sentence for the offence that the defendant has committed.
Originally published here.
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How to expunge criminal information in Texas
To know more about <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.recordzapper.com/”>expunging criminal records in Texas</a> or to <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.recordzapper.com/”>expunge criminal record</a>, visit <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.recordzapper.com/”>RecordZapper</a>.If you are having any past criminal record that is haunting you from the years? Have you been ever turned down in a job as you were drunk and met with an accident? Have you been a one time offender and think that your criminal history is unfair and is keeping you away from getting present and future opportunities? Today it is not difficult to expunge criminal record if you meet particular requirements. Expunging of criminal records is easy for those people who are being imprisoned are penalized for minor crimes. Expunging of criminal records is particularly designed to give relief to those people who are one time offenders of law and maintain a clean profile after their first in legal action. A clean record is an expensive asset today as having a criminal background not only spoils your reputation in the society but also creates many hurdles when you apply for job or loan or any other opportunity provided by the government. Today when we go out to find a job, apply for loan from a bank, choose for child custody, child adoption or any professional licensing the first thing that different companies do is can be a criminal check on your profile. The chances of you getting what you wish reduce almost to half if you have any criminal obligation or criminal record. Also with the increasing number of population and criminal activities the society has become more regulated and various opportunities like: Decrease in sports positions, firearms regulations can all become restricted prospects for only those people who do not have a clear criminal profiler or are being convicted before. To expunge criminal record there are several formalities and requirements that have to be fulfilled. Such formalities can include a definite amount of time as the criminal record that is an execution has to be checked if the person is not involved in any other incidents after his first criminal case. Also, any prior criminal records or any kind of offense involved is also checked along with the seriousness of the case. The requirements for expunging a criminal record can differ from one state to another. To expunge criminal record in Texas a misdemeanor charge that has to be dismissed must be two years old since the crime has been committed and there should be no felony charges on the person for at least previous five years. Also, there should be no involvement in community service or final conviction until and unless the charge is under C misdemeanor. For the felony dismissals and entire misdemeanor requirements have to be met. Also, the case should not have been filed to the court or must have been dismissed before the trial took place. In order to expunge criminal record in Texas you can get complete information on the arm and a website or can also take the help of the private lawyers. The best private lawyers who can help you in expunging a criminal record is record zapper.
Originally published here.
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