Were you arrested for a crime and are stuck behind bars as a result? If so, is there a bail amount you could pay to get out? If the court did not set bail, or if the bond is excessively high, you might need to call a criminal lawyer for assistance. A criminal lawyer may be able to help you get out of jail by using one of the following methods.
Pleading the Eighth Amendment
As a defendant, you are not guilty until the court proves you are, yet the court system can keep you in jail while you await your case. Courts are required, though, to offer bail to defendants, and the Eighth Amendment states that the bail cannot be excessive.
If the court is not offering you bail, or if it is excessive, your lawyer could use the Eighth Amendment to help you get out of jail.
For a lawyer to use this, he or she will petition the court for a hearing, unless there is already one scheduled. This type of hearing is often called an arraignment hearing, and one goal of this meeting is to discuss bail. At the hearing, your lawyer can argue on your behalf. If the court did not set bail, your lawyer would ask the court to do this. If the bail is too high, your lawyer will ask the court to reduce it.
Asking for a ROR
Lawyers also use something called a ROR to help people get out of jail. ROR stands for "release on own recognizance," and it is a tool that lets a person get out of jail without paying any money. The person agrees to show up to court and do anything the court requires in exchange for being released from jail without paying bail.
Proving Your Innocence
If neither of the first two options works, your lawyer might start working on fighting your case. If the case is going to trial, you have a chance of getting the charges dropped. For this to happen, the jury would need enough doubt about your involvement in the crime. Your lawyer will build on this element by aiming to place doubt in the minds of the judge and jurors.
Facing a crime without legal assistance is not a smart idea. Criminal defense lawyers know the strategies it takes to help people who are in the position you are in. Contact a firm like The Rambarran Law Firm today to learn more about your rights with the charges you face.
