Anyone who has been accused of a crime in Florida knows what an unnerving and overwhelming experience this can be. Being arrested for any crime whether it’s a Florida misdemeanor or felony charge, needs to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney sooner rather than later.

This is because there are many different times in legal process where you need to have your rights protected. Not being fully aware of your rights can put you at greater risk of having your future compromised.

Be Aware of Your Rights After an Arrest

Bear in mind that the goal of a police officer is to obtain as much information as possible and aggressively pursue criminal charges in the majority of cases.

This means that you need to have someone just as assertively working on your rights in order to protect you going forward. Being convicted of a crime carries several different types of consequences in Florida depending on the individual circumstances of your case and the crime itself.

Study Shows It is Hard to Shed Criminal Record

A new Penn study indicates that there are numerous challenges associated with living with a criminal record. If you have been convicted of a crime in Florida, you might be facing traditional consequences like jail time, fines or other negative outcomes.

However, after you have served your sentence, you may be hoping to move on with your life and to be able to put this unfortunate event behind you. As this new research study indicates, however, that may be easier said than done.

The research study interviewed 53 different subjects who had recently enrolled for help at a legal clinic inside a court house.

The researchers expected that there would be differences among the subjects and how they had been able to cope with life depending on the severity of their criminal records.

However, this was not the case. Individuals with extensive legal troubles seemed to have just as much difficulty as individuals with less serious crimes on their record.

In general, this indicates that there are many difficulties in general associated with moving on from a criminal conviction in the past due to the fact that criminal histories and criminal records are much more easily obtained today. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with the criminal record has not eroded during this time period.

The researchers also expected that one of the key problems for helping someone move on from a criminal conviction would have to do with potential employers. However, several of the subjects participating in the study had been sent to the help desk in order to attempt to have their records expunged so that they could be considered for particular job situations.

Many employers were actually quite sympathetic to the convicted person’s background and wanted to lend a helping hand.

Plenty of academic research is exploring different policies and methods that could minimize the impact a criminal record for job opportunities.

One policy is known as Ban the Box where employers would not be allowed to ask about someone’s criminal record on an additional employment application.

One of the best ways to protect yourself from the serious consequences of a criminal conviction is to hire a Florida criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after you have been charged.

Understanding the full potential consequences for your crime and pursuing an aggressive defense is strongly recommended so that you have someone protecting your rights from day one.

Rather than speaking to the police, exercise your rights to retain an attorney and request that you speak to your lawyer sooner rather than later after being arrested.

Also Read: Do Pending Criminal Charges Have Any Impact On My Employment Opportunities?

Contact An Expert Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney

Working with the right attorney gives you the best possible chance for eliminating or reducing your charges and being able to move on from an unfortunate incident.

Do not underestimate how a criminal record can influence you; make sure you get representation from an experienced criminal defense attorney who cares about your future.

The right attorney can make a big difference in terms of how your charges are handled.

Learn more about when you should allow the police to search your vehicle with your permission: http://www.mariarogerslaw.com/should-i-consent-to-a-search-of-my-car-if-a-police-officer-asks/