Interviewer: Are there different types of programs for first offenders?
Offenders under the Age of 21 are Eligible for Diversion Programs
Paul Tafelski: Every court is different in those respects, so some courts will have first offender programs for retail fraud. All courts will usually have some first offender programs for people who are under 21 years of age, first offender programs for minors in possession.
The Judges Consider Several Factors before Allowing Entry into a Program
Sometimes there are first offender programs for domestic violence cases or possession of marijuana cases. However, entry depends on whether they’re willing to let you take advantage of the program, whether there are appropriate for your case, and whether you can succeed with the terms and conditions of the program. Those are all issues that depend upon the judge, depend upon the lawyer, and depend upon the court.
Non-U.S. Citizens Need to Know That Even Misdemeanor Offenses Can Affect Immigration Status
But in many situations there can be some kind of program out there to help you keep our record clean, especially if it is already clean. The last thing that’s important for people to know, if you’re not a United States citizen and you’re facing a charge such as retail fraud, or drunk driving or domestic violence those are all potentially considered crimes of moral turpitude. They can affect your immigration status even if they are misdemeanors.
You need to be very careful because the immigration laws are changing all the time and people can get deported over things they would never expect to be deported over.
Anybody with an immigration consequences has an important need of hiring good counsel to try and protect their right as much as possible through the criminal justice system in all the district courts.
It Is Advisable to Contact an Experienced Attorney When Facing Any Alcohol-Related Charges in the 44th District Court
Interviewer: Is there anything you wanted to mention in conclusion regarding to the different district courts?
Paul Tafelski: What comes to mind right now has to go back to the 44th district court of Royal Oak. There are many defendants who get charged with crimes related to drunkenness. This includes public intoxication, drunk and disorderly, disorderly conduct, assault and battery, drunk driving, resisting and obstructing a police officer—a person facing any of those types of crimes in the city Royal Oak or the 44th district court should give us a call.
It Is Very Important to Avoid a Criminal Record, Even When Facing What You Consider to Be a Minor Offense
They should contact us because we’ve handled many of those cases. In many situations we’ve been able to work out very favorable deals for people. These negotiations help keep their record clean and manage the situation in a way that doesn’t affect their life or their ability to obtain good employment opportunities in the future.
Don’t take it lightly, don’t just plead guilty, and don’t just assume that that’s a ticket, because it’s not. Those are all criminal misdemeanors that stay on your record unless you work out a deal to keep it off your record.
