Stamford Theft Arraignments

At Stanford theft arraignments, the person is presented with the charges and the accusations that are being made against them. At that juncture, it is important for people to seek the services of experienced legal counsel. An attorney can help you find probable cause and can argue for a low bond amount. If you have been charged with theft, speak to a skilled theft lawyer that can help.

Importance of Probable Cause in Theft Arraignments

A person charged with a crime does not need to have evidence against them and establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. That happens at the trial phase. Initially, to have a charge put on the person, there only needs to be enough evidence to establish that there is probable cause that the person committed a crime.

Probable Cause as a Low Threshold

Probable cause is a low threshold. It is less than more likely than not. It is not even saying is it more likely than not or 51% likely that it happened. It is much lower than that. It is saying if based on these facts, is there any way consistent with the evidence that that the person could be convicted of this crime.

If the answer to that is yes, there is probable cause. Nevertheless, the attorney will be looking to make sure that there is enough evidence to meet that lower threshold.

An attorney must also work to make sure that there are no jurisdictional defects, meaning that the person was in the place that the crime is being charged within the appropriate period of time.

Setting the Bond Amount

The bond is an amount of money that must be posted to ensure that the person will appear in court. The more serious the offense, the higher the bond will be. The idea is that if the person is going to be released to the public, there is some sort of commitment over the person’s head so if the person does not continue appearing for court or steps out of line and violates some of the conditions of the court, there is a financial incentive for the person stay in line while the process is going on.

Lawyer’s Role in Negotiating Bond Amount and Conditions

During Stamford theft arraignments, an attorney’s most important job is to make an argument regarding the amount of bond that is set and/or the conditions that may be placed on the defendant while released prior to a trial happening, so while the case is pending and ongoing.

The attorney will help present that argument to the court to try to show the judge that this person does not have a lot of reasons to not appear for their court case or reason to cause a serious concern to the public safety, which would all go towards favoring the release of the defendant with a bond that is as low as possible.

Support a Theft Attorney Can Offer

A theft lawyer can provide the support of knowing what is ahead, understanding more about the criminal process, and providing an understanding what the defendant’s responsibilities are not only during the criminal process but potentially after a resolution in the case has been obtained.

If you do accept a plea deal and there is probation or you are admitted into the accelerated rehabilitation program, you are going to have a lot of different conditions and rules to follow.

A qualified theft lawyer can help you understand what those rules are, what kinds of actions would constitute a violation, and what kinds of things you should and should not be doing. The attorney can help you gather the information needed to show that certain conditions have been met. The attorney can communicate that information to the relevant authorities to protect your interests to the highest degree. If you want to know more about Stamford theft arraignments or, need counsel for your arraignment, contact a Stamford theft attorney.