The Pre-Trial Diversion Program Could Help You With Your Criminal Charges
A criminal charge against you is something you will have to fight against in court, and it will require hiring a criminal defense attorney for help. As you begin working on your case, your lawyer might talk to you about a pre-trial diversion program. If you can qualify, it could offer a lot of great benefits to you. Here are several things you may want to know about this program:
It Offers a Way Out of a Criminal Charge
When you can choose a pre-trial diversion for the charges you are facing, it means that the court will drop the charges if you complete certain tasks. You will have a timeframe in which you must complete these requirements, and you will have a certain length of time in which you must avoid getting charged with other criminal charges. If you complete the requirements in the pre-trial diversion program, the court will drop the charges as if they never existed. There are very few ways to get criminal charges dropped like this, and that is why many people like this program.
It Is Only Available in Certain Cases
One thing you should understand about pre-trial diversions is that they are not available to everyone. For you to qualify for this program, you typically must be a first-time offender. In other words, you cannot have previous criminal charges on your record. If this is the first offense you are facing, you might qualify for this program.
Secondly, the charges you are facing must be certain types of charges. For example, if you are facing a DUI charge or a drug possession charge, you might qualify for this program. If you are facing a murder charge, however, you would not qualify, as people who are facing very severe crimes could not use this type of program.
What It Involves
For most people, using this diversion program will involve several different steps. First of all, you must qualify for it and convince the court to offer it to you. Secondly, you will have to complete certain requirements outlined by the court. For example, if you are facing a drug charge, you might have to complete a drug rehabilitation program, or if you are facing a DUI, you may have to take classes that teach you about the negative effects of alcohol. Lastly, you will have to stay out of legal trouble for the duration of the program, which might be one year or longer.
If you follow the conditions of the program and complete them, the charges will be wiped away. If you do not follow the conditions, the court will prosecute you for the charges you were facing when you accepted the diversion program. Talk to a criminal defense lawyer like those at GLEN ALBRIGHT LAW for more information.
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