One common way for criminal defendants to get a better deal or plea bargain is to agree to cooperate with prosecutors. However, there are many risks involved in cooperating, which you should seriously discuss with your Putman felony attorney before agreeing to any deal.
Assessing the Value of the Cooperation at the Prosecutor’s Discretion
Keep in mind that usually, the prosecutor has sole discretion to examine your cooperation and decide whether it is truly worth asking the judge for a sentence reduction. Even if you and your Putman felony attorney think you have been very helpful, the prosecutor might disagree.
However, there are some circumstances in which the courts can review whether the prosecutor acted in good faith or bad faith. Your Putman felony lawyer will know when this can be argued. For example, if the prosecutor refused a reduction because of your religion, your political beliefs, or because of your ethnicity, that is grounds to review the decision. Also, if the refusal is based on conduct that the state already knew at the time, that might be grounds for review.
Additionally, if your provided truthful information that the government simply did not like, your Putman felony attorney will know that this is grounds for review.
This all assumes that you had a written cooperation agreement with the prosecutor. If you did not, then your only remedy for a refusal to seek a reduced sentence is if the prosecutor acted unconstitutionally, such as based on race or religion. Make sure your Putman felony lawyer knows if this is the case.
How to Protect Yourself
The prosecutors will want to interview you and determine how credible your information is. If you seem hesitant or contradictory, your testimony is not as valuable to them. But if you confess to detailed first-hand knowledge of wrongdoing yourself, that is much more useful. Your Putman felony attorney will carefully prepare you for the interview, and advise you to be forthcoming not just about your crimes, but the crimes you witnesses as well.
Also, to ensure that the record taken is accurate, your Putman felony lawyer should have the interview session audiotaped or transcribed by a stenographer.
Contact a Putman Felony Attorney
Agreeing to cooperate with the state is not an easy decision and should not be made lightly. Talk to an experienced Putman felony attorney to get dedicated criminal defense help. Call the Attorneys at Canan Law at (904) 849-2266.
