Civil rights violations can affect criminal cases

Going through a criminal case is a big challenge. When you are trying to combat the charges against you, every viable defense strategy must be explored in order to build the staunchest defense. One potential strategy that you might employ is that the arrest violated your civil rights.

In Baltimore, the issue of civil rights violations has been on the news recently following a report from the Department of Justice. The federal agency found that the Baltimore Police Department commonly violated the rights of people of color. This news comes as a shock to some people, but for people who have been dealing with these issues, the report is welcome news.

This report may pave the way for reform, but that will take millions of dollars and years to correct. Until then, all citizens have to be cognizant of what is taking place when they are stopped by police officers. If anything seems like it shouldn’t be happening or if you know that your civil rights are being violated, you should make mental notes about any violations. You may be able to use that information later in your criminal defense.

This is only one possibility when you are trying to formulate your defense. The more you can remember about the questionable arrest, search, questioning or other events that happened during your contact with police officers, the more fuel you might have for your defense. While these examples of aberrant actions by the police might not be sufficient to acquit you of of the charges, they can bolster your criminal defense attorney’s strategy.