If you are going through a criminal investigation in Florida, you may be worried about the future. What will happen if you are convicted and what will be the effect of that on your future? Your job prospects could be minimized, you might not be able to go to the college of your choice and there might even be restrictions on where you are allowed to live.
On top of that, conviction comes with penalties ranging from community service to fines and even time in prison. As such, choosing the right line of defense to avoid conviction and reduce the penalties you face is essential. However, every case is different, so it is important to be aware of the different courses of action you can take.
Sometimes you may simply be able to deny any involvement. You are innocent unless proven otherwise, so if you know you were not involved, the onus is on the prosecution to attempt to prove otherwise. You could also support your side of the argument if you have an alibi. If you can show that you were elsewhere when the crime occurred, you are introducing reasonable doubt that you were involved.
As is explained here, in other cases, you may have been responsible for the offense, but perhaps it was not your fault. If you were coerced or tricked into an illegal action, or you were unable to control yourself due to a medical condition, this may aid your defense. You might also demonstrate that you acted in self-defense, or that you had no understanding that you were committing a crime.
One more option is to negotiate a plea deal. This is sometimes a good choice if you know you were responsible and think conviction is unavoidable. By admitting to some of the lesser charges, you can often have other charges dropped and the penalties reduced.
