On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Monday, July 3, 2017.
If you recently received drug charges, you may think that it is not worth it to fight them. Maybe you believe that the evidence against you is quite strong, or maybe you feel that a simple charge like drug possession is no big deal.
In reality, neither of these are very good reasons to opt out of building a strong legal defense against drug charges. Even if you believe that the evidence against you is particularly strong, a skilled attorney can find ways to fight for your freedom that you may never consider. Similarly, If you think that any drug charge is a small matter, you should seriously reconsider that position.
Drug charges carry extremely heavy penalties compared to other similar, non-violent crimes. Moreover, beyond the legal penalties brought on by a drug conviction, you stand to face many social penalties as well.
The punishment rarely fits the crime
Campaigning on a “tough on crime” platform is a classic way that political candidates can shore up votes in an election, especially in midwestern states like Missouri. However, the reality of the matter is that “tough on crime” usually translates to “stiffer minimum sentences for drug offenders,” among other things.
Drug convictions account for a far larger percentage of incarcerations than any other kind of crime, leading to overpopulated jails that can barely keep up with a system built to churn out more convicts year over year.
If you choose not to fight your drug charges, you may face very unfair jail time as well as surprisingly high fines.
The aftermath is widespread
Even after you serve your time, you’re not done paying for the conviction — not by a long shot. Individuals with drug convictions on their records often face great difficulty securing employment because many employers refuse to even consider hiring someone with a drug conviction.
Even if you manage to find work with a conviction on your record, you may have great difficulty finding a good place to live. Many property management firms do not rent apartments or houses to anyone with a drug conviction. The practical result of this is that those rental properties that do rent to individuals with drug convictions are filled up with other people who also have drug convictions. In many cases, this makes it very difficult to avoid making further foolish choices in the future.
You may also find that insurance rates rise after a drug conviction, making it very difficult to stay legal on the road.
However you choose to build a strong defense, do not waste any time. Every hour that you choose to wait to begin building your defense is an hour that the prosecution has to build against you.