The courts are responsible for handling legal issues so if a person is accused of a crime he or she has to go to the court. There are different courts to deal with different types of criminal offenses. The person accused of a crime is known as the defendant and the defendant with the help of an attorney needs to establish a criminal defense to prove their innocence or get the minimum sentence.
Laws are complicated and a court is an intimidating place. A slight mistake can cost the defendant dearly. To deal with the criminal charges the defendant needs to find the best and professional criminal defense solicitors near me so that he or she can have a strategic argument that can turn the verdict in the defendant’s favor.
Here are the main categories of criminal defenses that are used by the defendants to strike down the criminal charges filed against the defendant.
Automatism
The involuntary conduct that leads to crime allows a person to use the defense of automatism. The defense of automatism means that the crime was committed because the person had no control over the body movements. If the defense strategy is successful then the accusation will not have any means for conviction.
The automatism is of two types; non-mental and mental disorders. The automatism that is derived from temporary insanity then it is classified as a mental disorder. If the state of automatism is triggered by a physical blow to the body or any existing medical condition then it will be classified as a non-metal disorder.
Affirmative
The affirmative criminal defense is the one in which the defendant tries to get rid of the criminal charges by claiming that the accusations and evidence presented by the prosecution are false. For an affirmative criminal defense to work the defendant and the lawyer will have to produce evidence that supports their claim that there is no truth in the accusations.
The insanity defense
The insanity defense has been made popular by movies and television shows but in reality, it is not the most useful defense option. The defense tells the court that the crime was committed but the accused was not aware of the illegal nature of the activity.
The insanity plea is only successful if the accused has a history of severe mental illnesses. Proving the insanity defense is not an easy task as well as the attorney needs to present solid and convincible evidence. It is a risky defense option because the defendant has to admit that the accused was responsible for committing a crime.
Duress and coercion
The duress and coercion defense is used to tell the court that the accused was forced or threatened to commit the crime. There is no need for the unlawful force to occur as the threat of the unlawful force is enough for a convincing coercion defense.
It is not the right choice of defense if the accused becomes a victim of a situation that causes duress because of his or her own reckless behavior.
Conclusion
The defense that you choose with the help your attorney’s depends on the crime that a person is accused of along with the available evidence.
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