Understanding Your Rights When Facing Criminal Charges

As an American citizen, you are entitled to certain rights. Because America is a free country, all people—regardless of whatever criminal charges they are facing or may have committed—still have a number of rights. Knowing these rights can help your preparation and hearing go smoothly and fairly. 

Why Should You Know Your Rights?

Sometimes when you are facing criminal charges, you may not have committed those crimes or have committed them accidentally. Even if you are rightfully facing criminal charges, you still have certain unalienable rights. By knowing your rights, you can stand up for yourself against people that may want to treat you unfairly just because you are facing criminal charges. Knowing your rights is powerful. 

Right to Fair Hearing

One of the rights that you have when facing criminal charges is the right to a fair hearing. The point of a hearing is to better understand what happened when the alleged crime was committed. At a hearing, a judge will listen to the facts and impartially come to a verdict based on their knowledge of the law. You have the right to have an unbiased judge. Additionally, you have the right to present your side of the story to help the judge better understand your persp