Communities near Sydney such as Penrith, Cambridge Park, Emu Heights, Emu Plains, Cranebrook, Glenmore Park, Jamisontown, Colyton, and Kingswood are served by various law firms. In fact, some of Australia’s most successful criminal lawyers have represented clients from these communities.

If you’ve been accused of a crime by your employer or another individual, you should consult a criminal lawyer. If you have committed a crime and need confidential legal advice about what to do, talking to a criminal lawyer is the right thing to do. And if you have been questioned, detained, or charged with a crime, you need help from a criminal lawyer -- immediately.

Pleading Guilty

If you plan to plead guilty to the crime that you have been charged with, you may think that having a lawyer on your side is not necessary. In fact, when you are pleading guilty, a good criminal lawyer is essential to your case. When you choose to plead guilty, you are admitting to committing the offence, so it’s important to ensure that the charge is accurate. A lawyer can prevent you from pleading to a charge that is too severe for your actions.

The particular offence that you are pleading to will be heard in one of four courts: Local and Magistrate’s Court, District and County Court, Supreme Court, or Federal Court. Minor criminal matters, which make up most crimes in Australia, are prosecuted in the local court. Each court has its own procedures, which your lawyer will be able to explain.

Although you may be admitting that you broke the law, the penalty that you will receive depends on a number of different factors.

Sentence Reduction and Mitigating Factors

Unlike cases featuring a "not guilty” plea, your lawyer will be concerned mainly with the consequences of the guilty plea , and will work to reduce your sentence. The penalty that you receive can vary greatly.

Your lawyer’s strategy will probably include highlighting any mitigating factors that may have had an influence on your actions. Examples of mitigating factors include your past history, such as a previously unblemished record. The circumstances surrounding the incident can also come into play. For example, if you committed the crime due to need rather than greed, or if the crime was unplanned rather than premeditated, those may be considered mitigating factors. Your behaviour following the incident can also be taken into account; this encompasses factors such as contrition regarding the incident, cooperation with authorities investigating the incident, and attempts to make reparations to the victim(s). Your future may also come under scrutiny: mitigating factors with regard to this may include youth (your age), prospects for rehabilitation, risk of losing employment, or dependants. Mental illness or drug/alcohol use, physical health, and personal misfortunes leading up to the commission of the crime may also be considered.

Your lawyer will try to reduce your sentence as much as possible. In special cases, your lawyer may even be able to have the charge omitted from your official record.

Tougher Calls for Criminal Charges: Workplace Safety

There are some instances in which an employee can face criminal charges based on his or her conduct in the workplace. In an effort to ensure a safe work place, workplace injuries and deaths are prosecuted against employees of a company, third-party contractors and service providers. Individuals are held accountable for health and safety violations that contribute to serious or fatal injuries. There are recent examples of company directors facing charges and eventually conviction of manslaughter charges after and employee was killed on the job. It is important in the face of these very serious charges that employers and subsequently employees have the right legal protection in the face of such tragedy. Some cases are not cut and dry – and all cases have a level of complexity that criminal lawyers in Penrith and surrounding areas can provide. Across Australia, there is a call for tougher penalties for workplace negligence causing injury. Furthermore, the target is not the third-party groups, but those in a position of power to make decisions regarding company safety policy. This is one example of a potential criminal case that can be brought against an individual pertaining to their employment. Criminal lawyers with experience in this type of litigation will be able to provide the best guidance and defense to fight criminal charges laid against you for decisions made in the workplace. 

Whether or not you intend to plead guilty, if you have been accused or charged with a crime, call a criminal lawyer in Penrith today.