The justice system was created to help the victims by punishing those who did something wrong. However, it doesn’t always work that way. Unfortunately, there are also times when people get falsely accused. They might even serve time for a crime they did not commit, especially if the steps leading up to the trial weren’t correctly handled. Being incarcerated can have severe repercussions on your future employment and educational opportunities. That’s why you need to have a criminal attorney on your side who will take care of all the legalities of your case in Provo. So what do you do when you find yourself in the receiving end of a malicious accusation?
What You Should Do
The first thing you should do if you have been wrongfully accused or charged with a crime is to hire a lawyer. Don’t wait for things to get worse before hiring one because that could seriously hurt your chances of proving your innocence. Other essential things that you should do include:
- Make a thorough list of all the existing evidence from the crime scene, such as documents, objects, bullet casings, and blood, that you know of but were unable to take from the scene.
- Collect as much physical evidence as you can that is related to the incident, such as videos, photos, clothing, and other essential objects.
- Gather records or documents related to the case, such as e-mails, letters, financial or legal records, phone records, and other records that might show you weren’t at the scene when the alleged crime happened.
- Create a list of people who you think can share more information about the alleged crime. Don’t forget to obtain their contact information, should you need them to act as a witness on your behalf.
- Make sure that you share all these materials and information with your attorney.
What You Should Not Do
You must also take note of the things you should not do when accused or charged with a crime like the following:
- Destroying any evidence that you think might incriminate you does not help. It may even make you look guilty.
- Don’t try to approach and talk to the victim yourself.
- Don’t try to explain to the investigators or the police what happened without a lawyer present. The police are highly trained in different interrogation techniques, so you might end up volunteering information that can later be used against you. Remember your Miranda rights.
- Don’t voluntarily submit any evidence to the police or any testing like DNA tests without consulting with your lawyer first.
- A warrant specifies the only permissible searchable scope in your home. However, if you give them consent to search your home without a warrant, they can do so without any limits. So even if you have nothing to hide, you should still never let the police search your home without a warrant.
When facing false accusations, the first step you should take is to hire a lawyer. However, not everyone does this because they naively believe that their innocence will be proven naturally during the investigation. Trusting the justice system is a good thing, but you also must admit that it has its faults. So it’s still better to be safe than sorry.