A Houston criminal lawyer works within the penal law system, which is a type of law that has the potential for unique and potentially severe punishment for failure to comply. Criminal punishment for failure to comply with the penal body of rules may include execution, loss of liberty, government supervision in the form of probation or parole or monetary fines. Some Houston criminal lawyers help clients who have been accused of typical penal crimes such as murder-however, many attorneys, such as a juvenile defense lawyer, may also deal with penal codes that fall within a less clear area of criminal conduct and may even begin with civil infractions. Criminal law is usually enforced by the government rather than by private parties, which is the case with civil law.
Of course, the law does not enforce consequences for non-adherence to criminal law without a purpose; there are actually five objectives for the enforcement of criminal law: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, restitution and rehabilitation. Every jurisdiction is different on the value that it places on each of these objectives, with most juvenile defense lawyers focusing heavily on the focus of rehabilitation and deterrence.
Retribution
There is a very firm understanding that criminals should suffer in some tangible way for having broken penal law. These individuals have taken improper advantage, or inflicted detriment, upon others, and criminal law aims to put these individuals at some unpleasant disadvantage of their own to somehow “balance the scales”. The aim of a Houston criminal lawyer is to control the level of retribution carried out against his or her client.
Deterrence
Specific deterrence is actually aimed towards an individual offender. The aim of deterrence is to impose a sufficient penalty that discourages the offender from criminal actions. General deterrence is the idea that imposing a penalty on those who commit offenses will help to deter society at large from committing the same offenses.
Incapacitation
Incapacitation is designed to simply keep criminals separated from the rest of society so that the public is protected from potential misconduct. Usually, this protection is achieved through a prison sentence. Again, criminal lawyers in Houston work to make sure the clients receive the fairest incapacitation times possible for their infractions. Restitution
This is the one theory of punishment that is extensively victim-focused. The goal of restitution is to repair any hurt inflicted on the victim by the accused offender. Sometimes restitution is combined with other types of criminal justice; and this goal is closely related to the concepts stated in civil law.
Rehabilitation
The most important goal for most criminal attorneys is to get the courts to focus on rehabilitation for their clients who have been convicted of criminal infractions. The aim of rehabilitation is transforming an offender into a contributing, valuable member of society once again. Individuals of all ages will benefit from a focus on rehabilitation.
If you have been accused of a criminal offense, you deserve the right to quality representation by an experienced Houston criminal lawyer. Quality criminal defense requires dedication to clients and a sense of personal attention and compassion. For an attorney who will work hard to make sure your rights are respected, contact Musick and Musick at (281) 443-7747 for a free initial consultation
