Building a Defense for Ridgefield Domestic Violence Charges

Offenses categorized as “family violence” in Connecticut may not have more severe criminal penalties upon conviction compared to equivalent offenses targeting non-family members, but family violence charges are often prosecuted much more harshly by law enforcement and the court system in general. For that reason, among many others, help from a seasoned domestic violence defense attorney can be crucial in defending against your Ridgefield family violence charges.

Working With the Alleged Target of a Domestic Violence Offense

Allegations of domestic violence do not always stem from the people directly involved in the alleged offense. Rather, calls often are made to the police from concerned neighbors or other people. These people may misinterpret something they saw or heard. When this happens, statements from the alleged victim affirming that there was no behavior warranting criminal charges or further protective action from the court system can be extremely helpful to building a strong defense against a domestic violence charge in Ridgefield. To learn more about victim representation and advocacy, click here.

This strategy is not applicable in every situation, and trying to convince or compel someone who called the police that nothing illegal happened will almost always make it harder to effectively contest a charge. Even if the other party involved in a dispute is already cooperative, it is still best to discuss the matter privately with a qualified defense attorney before committing to this approach.

Countering Specific Evidence Sought by Investigators

If the person targeted by an alleged act of domestic violence in Ridgefield wants to continue pressing charges, building an effective defense against them will typically center around contesting the allegations on factual grounds and avoiding subjectivity as much as possible. This is important to all criminal charges, but especially domestic violence charges since they very often stem from one or more people’s interpretation of an argument or interaction.

No matter what, a court can only convict someone of a criminal charge if there is evidence proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” that they committed the crime in question. As a result, establishing that a particular piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case is not credible or that they do not have enough evidence to meet that “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard can often be effective in mitigating this sort of charge.

Taking Advantage of Police Mistakes

Sometimes, the best approach to contesting domestic violence charges is not to focus on the charge itself, but instead on the law enforcement authorities who arrested and/or charged the defendant in the first place. If police entered someone’s private property without reasonable cause, did not read someone their Miranda rights, or entrapped them before arresting them, any criminal charges filed against them based on evidence collected by the police after they violated the law may not be admissible in court.

Discuss Building a Defense Against a Domestic Violence Charge With a Ridgefield Attorney

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a domestic violence allegation, and choosing the wrong direction to take for your defense can end up putting you in even more trouble rather than helping you get out of it. Fortunately, you have help available with building a defense for Ridgefield domestic violence charges from knowledgeable legal representatives with a track record of achieving positive results from similar past cases. Learn more by calling the Law Offices of Mark Sherman today and click here to view our Avvo profile with over 300 certified five-star reviews.