Criminal charges are serious and need to be taken seriously. If you are convicted of a crime, there are significant consequences, including the loss of some of your rights, time in prison, and fines. Moreover, there may be extralegal impacts from having a criminal record. It may be harder to get a loan or buy a house, and friends and family may not want to “be around a criminal,” treating you differently.
With so much at stake, you need experienced people in your corner. Our lawyers know criminal cases inside and out, so we are more than ready and able to fight for your rights all the way through trial and beyond.
For a free, confidential analysis of your claim, call (609) 616-4956 and speak to the Law Offices of John J. Zarych’s criminal defense attorneys.
How Can Our Criminal Defense Lawyers Help You in Salem, NJ?
Most people are familiar with the fact that lawyers can defend people in court. However, a trial is just the capstone of a lengthy and involved legal process that happens beforehand. There is a ton of work that our criminal defense lawyers put into a client’s case, from gathering information to advocating for your rights prior to trial and negotiating with the prosecution to see if charges can be reduced or dropped entirely.
Collecting and Analyzing Evidence
Cases can be won or lost based on the evidence each side has. It should be no surprise, then, that our criminal defense lawyers will place an emphasis on getting all of the evidence we can to defend you against whatever charges the prosecutor wants to bring. In law, evidence can be anything that has any tendency to make a fact more or less likely to be true. This, naturally, covers a wide range of things. For example, text messages, video footage, and testimony from other people can all be used as evidence in a criminal case. To obtain this evidence, we work hard to communicate with whatever parties we need to form a picture of what really took place.
Some evidence that we get will even come from the prosecutors and police officers. For example, prosecutors are required to turn over any evidence they have, even if it might prove your innocence, so we can seek court orders to prevent prosecutors from trying to withhold that evidence.
Not all evidence is allowed into court, though. For example, if evidence was illegally obtained without a warrant, we can get it blocked from being used in court. If there is evidence that fits into that category in your claim, we will work hard to ensure that it does not make it to trial through motions to suppress.
Negotiating with Other Parties
It may surprise people to find out that lawyers on opposite sides of the case often talk to one another before trial. There are many interactions between lawyers during a case. Some of them are for routine and clerical things, like scheduling conferences and the trial on dates that work for all parties. Other communications can have more significant impacts. For example, if new evidence comes to light when preparing for trial, we can bring it to the prosecutor’s attention and advocate for the charges against you to be reduced or dropped entirely.
Fight at Trial
If your case makes it to trial, we will fight hard to give you the best chance at a positive outcome. Additionally, in the event that there is a mistake at trial or another issue arises, we can raise it on appeal and continue to advocate for your rights and for justice to be properly served.
Levels of Crimes and Other Prohibited Conduct in Salem, NJ
The criminal legal framework in New Jersey is somewhat different from that in other states. While the conduct and actions that are criminalized are similar, how they are categorized under New Jersey law is somewhat unique. In fact, some conduct that would be a crime in other states is not necessarily considered one in NJ – although there are still penalties for such conduct.
Disorderly Persons Offenses
Technically, disorderly persons offenses do not constitute crimes according to N.J.S.A. § 2C:1-4(b). Conduct that would fall under this category and lead to a charge against you would include things like resisting arrest. Although disorderly person offenses are not crimes, you still do not want to be convicted of one. For example, they will still appear on your record until expunged. Additionally, since this is not technically a criminal charge, there is no jury trial. You should still take these charges seriously and speak to an attorney, even though they are not considered crimes.
Petty Disorderly Persons Offenses
Petty disorderly person’s offenses are similar to their “regular” counterparts, but the conduct involved is less serious. For example, trespassing and disorderly conduct are disorderly person’s offenses.
Indictable Offenses
Crimes in New Jersey are called “indictable offenses” or “indictable crimes.” Any crime that may be punished with a prison sentence of more than six months is an indictable offense pursuant to N.J.S.A. § 2C:1-4(a). Since this is a very large category, indictable crimes get further broken down into fourth, second, third, and first degree crimes.
Fourth degree indictable offenses include less serious crimes like shoplifting goods worth at least $200 and up to $500 in value. Third degree offenses include things like possessing certain kinds of drugs. Second degree crimes are yet more serious and include crimes like illegal possession of machine guns, robbery, and sexual assault. Finally, first degree indictable crimes are the most serious crimes in the state. For example, armed robbery, aggravated sexual assault, and murder are first degree indictable crimes.
Discuss Your Case with Our Salem, NJ Criminal Defense Attorneys Today
Let our criminal defense attorneys from the Law Offices of John J. Zarych give you a free case analysis when you call us at (609) 616-4956.
