Strong Criminal Defense May Avoid Long-Term Consequences

Going to prison is just one of the long-term consequences associated with a criminal conviction. All the talk recently in the media about prisoner release programs and the need for sentences for conviction of a criminal charge that do not rely incarceration appear to be falling on deaf ears.

Kentucky judges presiding over the criminal trial and sentencing of Kentucky residents convicted of misdemeanor and felony criminal charges have put the state incarceration rate ahead of that of Russia. The state’s prison population has risen a staggering 45 percent during a recent 10-year period. By comparison, the prison population as a nation only rose by 13 percent.

One of the reasons for the sharp rise in the state prison population has to do with the country’s love affair with imprisonment as one of the penalties imposed by judges when someone is convicted after a criminal trial. Incarceration has been, and continues to be, the sentencing option of choice in much of Kentucky.

Until politicians decide to make sentencing reform and the breaking away of the old ideas about sentences imposed after a criminal conviction, prison overcrowding will continue to be an issue in most prisons throughout the country. A strong defense strategy that forces prosecutors to question the strength of their case and forces them to offer a plea negotiation that might avoid incarceration might be the best option for avoiding the harsh penalties of a criminal conviction.

A Bowling Green criminal defense attorney might be your best source for legal advice and representation if you have been charged with a crime. A strong defense might help you to avoid the penalties associated with a criminal conviction.

Source: WFPL, “Kentucky’s Incarceration Rate Ranks 7th in the World,” Ashley Lopez, Nov. 12, 2015