Articles Tagged with Robbery Sentencing

How Top Rated Mesa AZ Criminal Defense Attorneys Get Your Release Conditions Modified (Pre-trial)

After your Mesa AZ DUI or Criminal arrest and detention you will be required to have an initial appearance before the Mesa AZ Court Judge. The judge will read you your rights, formal charges, and advise you of your pre-trial release conditions. The primary purposes of court in setting release conditions is to 1) secure a defendant’s appearance for future court dates or trial, 2) and to make sure the defendant’s release does not pose a threat or harm to others in the community.

The Mesa Arizona Court takes into account many factors in making this decision including classification of the charge such as a misdemeanor or felony; severity and nature of the charges; if the charges involved a violent crime; your past criminal record if any; whether or not you are a potential “flight risk”; along with other standard release conditions and factors.

The release conditions should be commensurate with the criminal charge. The release conditions should not be unjust or unreasonable based on the crime you are accused of committing. For example, if a financially burdened defendant, with no prior criminal record was accused of shoplifting milk and a loaf of bread, without any weapons or threat of harm to anyone in the store; it would be outrageous for the judge to require him to post a $750,000.00 bail bond in order to be released from custody. If the release conditions seem overly harsh, unreasonable, financially unobtainable, or burdensome, your will need to retain an Arizona criminal defense attorney.

An experienced private criminal defense attorney who defends charges regularly in Mesa AZ court will immediately file a motion to request modification of your pre-trial release conditions. This can be done immediately while you are in custody. Either you or someone on your behalf can consult a Mesa criminal defense lawyer to discuss the charges, defense options, and services your Attorney can provide involving a request to modify your pre-trial release conditions from custody in Mesa AZ. This service by your private attorney is usually done as part of the entire retention and formal defense process.

Examples of modifications your Mesa criminal defense Attorney may request include but are not limited to lowering the bail bond to a reasonable amount; allowing you to be released on your own recognizance; allow an appearance bail, or allow you to be released to another responsible entity’s custody (for example a minor being released to the parents of the minor) home confinement with ankle bracelet security, and other more favorable conditions than initially ordered by the Mesa Court Judge.

When you discuss your case and initial release conditions with your Mesa Criminal or DUI Defense Attorney, be sure you communicate your concerns about the initial orders and how they will impact you, your family, your job, your financial situation. Your Mesa criminal defense attorney will immediately formulate compelling arguments and file the appropriate motions with the Mesa court on your behalf, in most cases while you are still in custody if you have retained them formally for legal representation.

Your chances of getting your pre-trial release conditions modified with the retention of a good private practice criminal attorney who defends charges in Mesa frequently significantly increase in your favor.

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AZ Felony Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines

Despite Arizona’s “Mandatory Sentencing” laws and guidelines for certain felonies a good AZ criminal defense lawyer may still be able to get your felony charges partially or completely dismissed. In alternative they may be able to fight for a reduction in charges to a “Standard Felony” or even a misdemeanor. This reduction in charges means you would avoid prison; thus allowing you to be eligible for probation instead.

Scottsdale AZ Felony Charges
If you are facing felony charges in Scottsdale AZ. you should do whatever it takes to hire the best Scottsdale criminal defense lawyer possible to defend you. Being charged with a felony does not make you “guilty”. By law you are entitled to a defense. Your best chance at a good outcome is to use a private practice AZ criminal defense attorney who defends Scottsdale felonies on a regular basis.
Felony Penalties for Scottsdale Felony Convictions
Arizona has some of the toughest punishments for felony convictions in the country. Because of these harsh penalties, usually most people have too much to lose to accept a conviction. This particularly the case if you felony conviction falls within the category of Arizona’s “Mandatory Sentencing Laws”. This is why it is so important to hire a good Scottsdale criminal defense attorney.

Such felony conviction penalties under “Mandatory Sentencing Laws” make you ineligible for probation. If convicted, you will be exposed to long prison terms within a certain range for the crime; exorbitant fines; probation with interlock monitoring device (ankle bracelets); and a felony criminal record that will following with adverse impacts on your life for many years. The Arizona judge also has authority to order more severe punishments depending on the circumstances surrounding the felony charges.

Types of Felonies That Subject to AZ “Mandatory Sentencing Laws”
In the state of Arizona, certain felony charges are subject to Arizona’s Mandatory Sentencing Laws referred to under A.R.S. 13-601 and A.R.S. 13-701. These charges including, but are not limited to the following:
1) Dangerous, violent crimes;
2) Sex crimes and assault;
3) Assaults involving use of a deadly weapon;
4) Assault and battery with a weapon;
5) Armed robbery; or repeat offenses;
Defense Lawyers in Scottsdale AZ for Felony Criminal Charges
It is critical for you to hire the best criminal defense or felony DUI lawyer possible; preferably an experienced litigator, with a proven successful defense record. There are two primary opportunities that top Scottsdale Defense Lawyers will use to achieve the best outcome of getting an acquittal, charges dismissed, or sentencing reduced.

1) The Defense Stage: Gathering Evidence, filing early procedure motions, participating in conferences and hearings, hiring experts, having DUI chemical evidence retested, challenging weak evidence, looking for reasons to get flawed evidence suppressed; deciding on a winning defense strategy based on the facts.

2) The Sentencing Stage: If there is no chance of getting the charges dismissed based on the strength of the prosecutions evidence, then your defense attorney will shift to the next stage which is sentencing. Your Scottsdale criminal lawyer will present mitigating factors (facts that are in your favor), exculpatory evidence, and reasons why you deserve a lesser charge or reduced sentence.

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