Crime and Justice
The Criminal Justice System: An Equalizer

The Criminal Justice System: An Equalizer

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, formerly known as the Texas Department of Corrections, is not a desirable residence for any of my colleagues, and I hope that viewpoint reins true for you and the people closest to you as well. In southeast Texas, namely the Houston area, law enforcement officials have shown a propensity to take their jobs seriously and enforce law at levels of near oppressiveness, to be exaggerative if I may.

That said, its easy to get arrested, and in America, a free country were almost everything is illegal, its easier than ever before to be a victim of arrest and even more so in strict law enforcement states like Texas, Arizona, and others.

It Pays To Obey The Law

Former convicts and people who have criminal histories will be quick to tell you that incarceration, or even the process of being arrested, can get very expensive.

For one, you lose time out of your life.

You know what that means. Time away from making money.

You may lose your vehicle if it was used in the commission of a crime. Police have no problems using the law to their advantage and seizing your property if they can find some way, any way, to tie it to a crime. You show up for a drug deal and get busted while in your personal vehicle and rest assured, you are looking at a major loss.

Legal Fees

Even hiring an attorney can put you in the rears when it comes to coin.

Simply put, if you hire any old lawyer you may get results from the court you may not like. However, if you can put together a decent defense fund to finance the fight for your freedom, you might want to hire an expert criminal defense lawyer like attorney Tad Nelson, a board certified criminal lawyer who is based in Houston, to represent you on your criminal case.

Some attorneys have the skills and training to become experts in criminal investigations and defense, while others merely graduate law school and have a law license. Some of them even have decent marketing strategies which may help to get them a few clients here and there. But, keep in mind, there is a major connection with the skills and education of your legal representation to the outcome of results after trial.

People From All Walks of Life Get Arrested

It doesn’t matter whether the person is rich, poor, an engineer, scientist, politician like Tom Delay, or a sports athlete like defamed Patriots Defensive Back Aaron Hernandez, everyone becomes equal in jail.

Aaron Hernandez

Hernandez, 24, faces an Oct. 6 trial in the murder of semi-pro football player Odin L. Lloyd of Dorchester a year ago yesterday in North Attleboro. He also faces other charges in a double murder in Boston. Source

Tom Delay

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay will go before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals as prosecutors attempt to reinstate his conviction on money laundering charges.

It’s a case that goes back to 2002. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s office will attempt to reinstate DeLay’s 2010 conviction and three-year prison sentence.

In November 2010, a Travis County jury found DeLay guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering in actions connected to his 2002 campaign. Prosecutors claimed DeLay funneled $190,000 of corporate money into campaign donations. Source

However, whether the person is a two-time convicted felon, or a straight flying school teacher, they may be innocent. Whether they are innocent or guilty, they will be best served by hiring a well seasoned and experienced Houston criminal defense lawyer to fight for their rights, a fair trial, and a keen review of all evidence and eyewitness connected with the case.

This is why its best to roll with a top flight criminal defense lawyer with experience and training refuting forensic evidence as well.

Criminal Litigation’s Effect on The Family

When a person is accused of a crime in Texas, it not only takes a toll on the defendant personally, but the whole criminal defense and litigation process takes a huge toll on the family and loved ones of the defendant.

Imagine worrying about if whether or not your son, husband, daughter, or best friend will be gone on a vacation to jail for the next few months, years, or decades. What if they are killed in jail by another inmate?

Aside from the pain caused by the expenditure of capital on criminal defense fees, the emotional toll can kill a person, end a relationship, or cause an entire family to sputter in disarray. This is why its more important than ever to have a professional criminal lawyer who knows how to handle the type of increasingly escalating pressures that come along with any fight against government allegations of alleged criminal wrongdoing.

An Impact on Business

If you run a business, have a job, or have duties that you must complete in order to make a living, the responsibilities that you have in regards to your criminal case may trump any other objectives that you may have in your professional life. Imagine not being able to go back to school, report to the office, or show up for practice as a result of being in jail.

What if there is a major project at work that relies on timely completion to keep or gain an important company contract? There could be hundreds, even thousands of jobs on the line if you are in a position of power and denied bond. It happens, and its sad when it does.

The consequences of being criminal charges could be devastating for you, your business, and your financial bottom line.

I once knew teenager who was on the Honor Roll during his entire stint in grade school, and he got accepted into the prestigious Harvard University.

Prior to completing his enrollment completion and leaving town to report to the campus, he went out with a few friends to celebrate, and took off for a night on the town with a few friends. Unknown to, lets call him Edgar, Edgar, there was a culture of cocaine use among his crew, and him not being a user, he never paid any thought to the matter. For the most part, cocaine was so much a part of his crews’ culture, that no one thought it was a bad idea to be riding around southeast Houston with a kilo of cocaine under the seat.

They went out, had a good time and made it back to their neighborhood when they were struck by a drunk driver who had blew a light. When the police and ambulance appeared on the scene, all was as is when cleaning up wrecks off of Houston’s streets with only one unique caveat, there was a white powdery substance all over the floor in the vehicle Edgar and his friends had been using for the night.

Once police caught on to what the substance was, they charged everyone in the vehicle with possession of cocaine. After the police finished their evidence collection process it was found that over 16 ounces of pure cocaine was in the vehicle. Just shy of a kilo.

To make a long story short, Edgar family wasn’t able to bond him out of jail so he could make it Harvard to complete his enrollment process. The Harris County Criminal Court set a bond at 50,000.00 which was far beyond the means of the meager income of Edgar’s Family.

Dealing with instances of criminal wrongdoing, or accusations thereof, is never at a convenient time. No matter who you are, what your background is, or what your higher education goals are, the criminal justice system is nowhere for good people to invest time.

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