Criminal Defense Attorney
The United State’s Criminal Code is the laws defining the punishment for crimes committed in the United States. After a crime has been committed and an accusation is filed, if there is probable cause, a formal charge or indictment may be filed in court. A grand jury will review the case to determine if it should be brought to trial. If the case is brought to trial and the defendant is found guilty the case will move to the punishment or sentencing phase of the trial. There are several goals of a criminal prosecution including: punishing the criminal, deterring the criminal from committing additional crimes, compensating the victim and keeping other individuals from committing crimes. There are a wide variety of crimes committed in the United States each year. For each criminal case there are a wide variety of defenses the defendant may claim in order to have the case dismissed, to be found innocent of the charges or to have the sentence reduced.