Defendant's Rights

The measure of a society is the extent to which it protects its most unpopular members. And those accused of crimes are among a society's most loathed citizens. In America, we preserve the rights of criminal defendants through a series of established legal protections.

At The Cochran Firm, our criminal law attorneys understand just how vital these protections are. We know that when you're accused of a crime, you deserve the rights guaranteed to you under the US Constitution.

We will fight for those rights. The job of a criminal law attorney is not just to argue on your behalf in a courtroom. Our role includes protecting you throughout your time in the legal system.

If you've been accused of a crime and need a criminal law attorney to protect your rights, please call The Cochran Firm today at 1-800-843-3476.

What Are My Specific Rights?

Most of a defendant's rights are defined by the US Constitution. However, Supreme Court interpretations of those rights, as well as jurisdiction-specific regulations, govern the day-to-day reality of a defendant's experience.

Our criminal law attorneys are committed to making sure you enjoy your constitutional protections, even if you are accused of a violent crime. These rights include:

  • The right to legal representationThe law is exceptionally complicated, and you need a specially trained criminal law attorney to represent you. Under the sixth amendment, you have the right to legal counsel. The Supreme Court Case Gideon v. Wainwright interprets that to mean the state must provide you with a lawyer if you can't afford one.

 

  • The right to confront witnessesIn some legal systems, the state is allowed to support their case with secret witnesses whose contentions cannot be examined and disputed by the defense. The sixth amendment gives all defendants the right to cross-examine the witnesses against them.
  • The right to a speedy trialThe sixth amendment guarantees that you will not be forced to stay imprisoned for an unreasonable length of time. As such, you have the right to a speedy trial by a jury of your peers.
  • The right to know the charges against youRelated to the previous right, you cannot be held indefinitely without being told the nature of the charges against you. This was a serious problem in many of the European monarchies our Founders were reacting against: people were arrested and imprisoned without ever being told why. This is not allowed in US criminal cases.

Police and prosecutors will often try to make end-runs around these rights in the hopes of intimidating you. The Cochran Firm's criminal law attorneys will not let this happen.

If you want an experienced criminal law attorney to fight for you after you've been accused of a crime, please contact The Cochran Firm today.