Your Options for a Criminal Defense

Finding yourself being suspected of a crime that you did not commit is an incredibly stressful experience. You might fear the result of a guilty charge, and although you might have been at the scene of the crime or partially involved, you need to explain yourself and your actions so that the courts can understand your rationale, your intentions and the reasons for why you acted in the way that you did. The good news is that there are many legally accepted defense options that you can use to do this.

The defense of necessity

There are many situations that a person can find him or herself in, where he or she feels that there is a need to commit a criminal act in order to prevent a "greater evil" from happening. For this defense to be recognized, your actions must be proven to have prevented a worse situation from occurring.


The defense of necessity can easily be confused with self-defense. If you claim self-defense, you must be able to prove that you committed an action such as assault or even murder, purely because you were convinced that you would be hurt or killed if you did not act in this way.

Duress as a defense

You may have found yourself in a position where a person has compelled you to commit a certain action. That person may have threatened you with physical harm if you did not commit the action. In this case, you can claim duress, since you did not commit the crime with true free will.

Having a sound defense is vital for getting a fair trial when you have been accused of a criminal act. Make sure to research your rights and the consequences of certain pleas.

Source: Listverse, "Top 10 defenses against criminal charges," Oct. 26, 2017