In the early days of our human evolution, our ancestors had very different problems than us today. It was to eat or be eaten, it was a battle of survival against nature. One of our innate instincts that is still kicking today is to be afraid of snakes. Our ancestors had to be very cautious of other predators like sabertooth tigers. In order to stand against such foes, they had to unite and live together, as social beings.
We are still trying to figure out what the ideal social behavior is and how to handle social interactions. We are not used to so many things that we encounter today, and that can lead to trouble. It can lead to people committing crimes or falsely accusing each other, for their own benefit. Luckily, we have mechanisms that can protect us during these very stressful times and situations. Here is how you can defend yourself in case of false criminal accusations.
Call an attorney
Being accused of a crime is something that can follow you for the rest of your life. The best way to get out of these career and life-damaging charges, you will need a skilled attorney. And not just any kind of attorney, you need a criminal attorney who has vast experience in dealing with similar cases. When it comes to crime, the odds are almost always against the one who is accused of committing the crime.
Even just one wrong step during criminal prosecution can trigger a bigger cascade. This cascade usually leads to being charged guilty even if you are innocent. The usual way how guilty people can be charged not guilty is with large sums of money. You do not need to do such a thing, as long as you truly are innocent. A good attorney will know every step that you need to take to clear you from any false criminal charges.
Carefully follow their advice
Once you get an attorney, you are paying them to protect you and give you advice. You have the full right to ask them any kind of question along the way to know what is going on. Always make sure to listen to their advice and not stray from their suggestions.
They know how this trial will go, they went through these trials numerous times. If you are not a professional, do not try to be a mister smarty pants with something life-changing. Everything that you say can be turned against you, even the slightest wrong thing. Even the slightest mistake can be taken out of context and thus turned against you.
Gather evidence
No one will believe that you are innocent unless you have the right evidence. Even with a few pieces of evidence, you can not still claim your innocence. Always present evidence to your attorney first so the evidence can be adequately presented. Presenting evidence is as important as the evidence itself. If you have any kind of physical evidence, clothing, tapes, or any kind of object, store them safely.
Try to write a journal where you remember all of the interactions you had with the person who accused you. Keep all of the emails and messages you had with the alleged victim. If you know someone who could be a witness, contact them as soon as possible. Let your attorney do all of the talking so you do not make a mistake that can lead to an unwanted cascade. By carefully following all of the rules, you will be good in no time.
Do not rush the process
During this whole stressful ordeal, you will need to stay calm and patient. If you try to rush the process and make rash decisions, the tables will turn against you. Being impatient will lead you nowhere during this very difficult process and hard accusations. Even if the world turns against you, you must not give in to your temptations. If you ever watched any kind of crime drama, you know what leads to the worst possible outcome, being impatient.
It is quite unfortunate that this type of guide must exist to prove one’s innocence. But again, the reason why such procedures must exist is that there are still a lot of people committing hideous things. Now, the important questions arise: is a system that convicts 1000 people right and one person wrong still just? Is it worth putting 1000 guilty people for the price of one innocent person?
These are just some pretty big moral questions that come with the whole justice system. But, this does not imply that the whole procedure of dealing with people who committed hideous crimes is wrong. It is just that the whole system can be corrupt, and that is where the big changes must be made.