Domestic violence charges depend on various points

Domestic violence charges are serious charges that you must take a firm stance against if you find that you have been accused of this crime. In Maryland, domestic violence charges aren’t in a class by themselves. Instead, these crimes are charged as other crimes under which they would fall. There are many possibilities that might occur.

False imprisonment, rape, stalking and assault are some of the charges that a person can face in connection with a domestic incident. These can carry harsh sentences. Rape for example can lead to life in prison. Assault carries up to 25 years in prison.

Domestic violence cases usually involve orders of protection. These require that you stay away from the alleged victim. Violating a protective order can land you in jail for up to 90 days for the first offense. Harsher sentences are possible for subsequent violations.

No matter what type of charge you are facing in connection with your domestic violence accusations, you are facing an entry on your criminal history. This can sometimes be as devastating as having to spend time in prison because a criminal history, especially for a violent charge, can make it difficult to live life in the manner you want.

Your defense strategy on these charges has to take the charge into account. It also needs to take the circumstances of the incident into account. Once you have all of this information together, you can work on finding out how you are going to handle things. You can’t think only about the outcome of the case. You also need to think about how the outcome will impact your family and your future.

Source: FindLaw, “Maryland Domestic Violence Laws,” accessed April 12, 2017