Law enforcement agencies and government prosecutors have extensive resources at their disposal. Without adequate protections for the accused, the balance of power within the justice system would become skewed in favour of the government. As it is, fair treatment for criminal defendants often depends upon the skill of their defense attorney than it does on the substantive protections contained in the law.
Now, every criminal offence is different from another and its punishment is also different. The principal features of a crime are its social danger and violation of criminal law. The most important aspect of a criminal offence is to know the intention of the guilty person. It could be his mental illness, because in most cases it found out that the guilty person is a psychopath. They can have a few mental diseases which lead them to commit the crime. But it can’t be any excuse for the crime.
Here are few criminal offences which is punishable by the court:
- Assault
- DWI
- Domestic violence
- Drug charges
- Federal charges
- Sexual assault
- Traffic offense
- Child abuse
- Murder and violent crimes
- Weapon charges
- State white collar crimes
- Shoplifting
- Robbery
- Hit and run
- Reckless driving
- Child pornography
Criminal defense attorneys deal with the issues surrounding an arrest, a criminal investigation, criminal charges, sentencing appeals and post trial issues. He or she is responsible for defending a person who has been accused of committing a crime. The practice areas of a defence lawyer include:
- Drug abuse: The possession, sale or manufacturing or trafficking of “controlled substances” such as cocaine, narcotics, heroin, methamphetamines is illegal and often charged with harsh penalties.
- Drunk driving: It is illegal in every state to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
- Traffic Violence: a traffic violation can lead to serious conviction and criminal charges.
- Domestic violence : An assault involving domestic violence can be enhanced to a felony in certain cases such as there is an allegation that the perpetrator choked or strangled the accuser during the course of the assault, the State may decide to enhance the charge to a third degree.
- Firearms and weapons: Federal law regulates the importation, manufacture, and distribution of firearms; bans certain firearms such as machine guns and semi-automatic assault weapons; and prohibits the sale of some firearms to restricted classes of people, including convicted felons and juveniles.
- Marijuana: The possession of marijuana persists to be a federal crime. Although various states have various laws on cannabis, some have legalised the possession and cultivation of weed plants while others still don’t have their laws relaxed in this case.
- Burglary: The severity of the punishment usually depends on the value of the property stolen or damaged. There are laws prohibiting crimes like damaging and defacing of properties.
- White Collar Crimes: White collar crimes generally involve theft by some kind of deception. They could include mail fraud, insurance fraud, credit card fraud and worthless checks.
- Sex crimes: Sex crimes include rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, prostitution, indecent exposure, public lewdness and more. The punishment the offender faces would include years in prison and expensive fines.