Often, when a person is in trouble with the law and is facing charges, they may not be sure what they should tell the police. Many choose to lie and do not even consider telling the truth. This is especially true if they are guilty of the crime they are being accused of and know that if they are upfront and honest, they could end up getting the maximum sentence.
It is likely that just telling the judge the truth about the situation could result in a harsh sentence, but it can also lead to the charges being dropped or you receiving a lesser sentence. The key to this particular criminal defense is telling the story in such a way that the events match up with the evidence, while also encouraging the judge and the jury to sympathize with you and believe what you are telling them.
This may sound tricky, but this is where your attorney can prove to be helpful. For example, if you were part of a group planning to rob a bank, but backed out before the crime was committed, an attorney can help you explain to the court that you weren’t actually part of the crime and did attempt to prevent it from occurring. This particular story would require some sort of evidence to prove that you did at least try to report the crime prior to it happening.
Regardless of the crime you are being charged with, you will want to seek assistance from an attorney. The point of hiring an attorney is to get the charges dropped or avoid a harsh sentence. An attorney well versed in criminal defense could get you the second chance you deserve.