What Happens When You Don’t Have an Effective Criminal Defense in Charleston, South Carolina?

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When you are charged with a crime in Charleston, South Carolina, you may feel like the world is against you. It might seem like a hopeless situation. You might feel like giving in and accepting the consequences, even if you are innocent or even if your charges could be reduced. Many people think that they can’t afford an attorney, though a conviction is far more costly. Still others are afraid of the immediate consequences and don’t take time to consider the long term effects of a conviction. You may be so overwhelmed by the potential incarceration, the likelihood of overwhelming fines, and significant impact on your day to day life in the immediate future. While these are all important concerns, you may have failed to fully appreciate the severity of the consequences in your long term future. You need to know what happens when you don’t have an effective criminal defense lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina.

Your Immediate Consequences of a Criminal Conviction Can Be Far More Costly than You Imagine

To begin with, we need to address the part of your criminal case that is most pressing and important to you in the moment. When you think that a Charleston, South Carolina, criminal defense attorney is too expensive, you need to be aware of how expensive it is to be convicted of a crime. You are likely to face jail time, prison time, probation, steep fines, the loss of your job, the inability to provide for your family, and much more. If you don’t get your charges dropped or reduced, and if you don’t take advantage of any pre-trial intervention programs that may be available to you, then you’re going to face the most severe consequences. A judge will use the information presented at your trial and the outcome of that trial to determine the appropriate punishment. You have little control over what happens here if you aren’t working with a skilled criminal defense attorney.

The Long Term Consequences of a Criminal Conviction on Your Earning Potential

After you serve your time and/or pay your fines and any other ordered debts to society, you are going to return to society with the hope of rebuilding your life. You will want to succeed in the world, provide for yourself and your family, and avoid being a burden to others. The last thing you want is to end up unemployed and couch surfing or living in a homeless shelter. So, the first thing you’re going to do is start looking for a job. You will go to put in an application and see that they want to know if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime. They may explain that they’re going to do a criminal background check before you can be hired. They may make it clear that convicted criminals are not welcome at their place of business. They may express that convictions for certain types of crimes are a bar to employment at their business. This may be your first dose of a painful reality after a criminal conviction.

The Long Term Consequences of a Criminal Conviction on Your Education Potential

When you find out that you are not employable in the industries where you worked prior to your conviction, you may think that getting a college education will turn things around for you. You can make sure that you are bright, educated, and qualified for better job opportunities. So, you’ll go to apply to colleges where you think you may be accepted. You’ll look into the process of obtaining student loans. You’ll hit another road block when you discover that you aren’t eligible for federal student loans because you are a convicted criminal. You may not even be accepted into college, even if you could afford it, as many educational opportunities are denied to persons with criminal convictions.

The Long Term Consequences of a Criminal Conviction on Your Ability to Get Assistance

Now that you’ve hit road blocks in your attempts to get a good job and improve your education, it is quite likely that you’re going to need some assistance to get through this difficult period of your life. So, you go out and apply for that assistance in the form of financial benefits, food stamp benefits, etc. only to find that you are not eligible for this either. Depending on what kind of crime you’ve been convicted of, you may be unable to get approved for any kind of government assistance. This goes beyond food stamps and financial aid to include public housing opportunities. This is where you find out that you may not be able to avoid moving back in with your parents, couch surfing, or ending up in a shelter.

The Long Term Consequences of a Criminal Conviction on Your Most Basic Rights

Some of your most basic of rights as a citizen will be affected by a criminal conviction in Charleston, South Carolina, including your rights to vote and own firearms. This is often not considered by individuals who are facing criminal charges and wondering if they require a Charleston, South Carolina, criminal defense attorney. You are likely to be more focused on the immediate consequences. Later, you’ll be more worried about getting a job, an education, and a home. Eventually, though, you’re going to look back with regret when you cannot purchase a gun or ammunition and when you can’t even vote on the issues that you care about. In some cases, you can get your right to vote restored after paying your debt to society, but this is not always a simple process.

Contact David Aylor Law Offices for a Skilled Charleston, South Carolina, Criminal Defense Lawyer

The best thing that you can do to protect your right to vote, your right to own firearms, your right to an education, and your right to get a decent job and help when you need it is to get a skilled criminal defense attorney in Charleston, SC on your side from the start. Call David Aylor Law Offices to learn more about how we can help you fight the criminal charges that you are facing.

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