With more than 7.7 million people living within its borders, Long Island is the most densely populated island in the entire country. While most of the residents won’t find themselves in need of legal defense, plenty of others may end up facing criminal charges. At the Law Office of Naiburg, Obedin, and Weissman, we’ve found that a staggering number of clients don’t realize just how much a criminal charge can impact their life. Because of this, we feel it’s important to take a closer look at this.
There are several different ways that a criminal charge can have an influence on your life throughout the future. These include the following.
- Jail Time – The most obvious is the risk of jail time. With criminal charges it’s very possible that you could end up facing time in jail. The duration of your sentence will depend on everything from the specific charges to your criminal history and beyond, but even a short sentence can make a huge impact on your life.
- Fines – Every penny counts these days, and criminal charges can come with some very heavy fines. Having to pay these fines can impact your life in various ways immediately, and could even cut into your finances over the next several years.
- Criminal History – This is the one aspect of a criminal charge that many people don’t realize will have such a big influence on them. Today, more than 75% of employers run a criminal background check prior to hiring an employee. This means that those with a criminal history will have a much harder time finding employment. A criminal record can impact other things as well including your ability to secure a loan, your ability to vote, and much more. In short, one simple criminal charge can impact your life for decades.
It should go without saying that the charges you face and other factors like your criminal history, your actions after the charges, and more may all impact the fines, jail time, and other impacts on your life. As a result, it’s impossible to provide specific numbers as to what kind of jail time or fines you might face.
Because of the different ways criminal charges can influence your life, it’s important that you take the time to find a good criminal defense lawyer to help you. A good attorney can make it much more likely that you’ll avoid the more damaging effects of a charge, and could get charges dropped altogether. There’s no way to know for sure what the outcome of your situation will be, but the first step is to talk to an attorney to figure out what options you have and what you can expect.