The concept of “innocent until proven guilty” is one of the bedrocks of the American criminal justice system. However, sometimes it probably seems to criminal defendants like this concept is just lip-service. In reality, many criminal defendants probably feel like they have next to no options right from the point of an arrest. But, that doesn’t necessarily need to be the case.
The truth is that some criminal cases do not proceed all the way to a conviction. Some will be dismissed due to problems such as a lack of evidence or constitutional infringements. Other cases may change significantly, with lesser charges being pursued than those that were originally filed. Still other cases may proceed all the way to trial, with the defendant receiving a “not guilty” verdict. The point is that it is not a foregone conclusion that your case will end with a conviction.
All defendants in Mississippi have the right to build a criminal defense strategy to fight back against the charges they face. The options in any given case can vary greatly. Each defendant needs to take the time to carefully assess the potential options in their own unique cases.
Building a defense case
At our law firm, we believe that the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” should be the starting point of any criminal case. The prosecution has a high bar to meet to prove each element of a charge “beyond a reasonable doubt.” In many cases, it is to the defendant’s benefit to hold the prosecution to that standard to the very end. For more information about how our law firm attempts to help defendants in Mississippi to build their defense cases, please visit the criminal defense overview section of our website.