A judge must impose a sentence that is sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to: reflect the seriousness of the offense; promote respect for the law; provide just punishment for the offense; adequately deter criminal conduct; protect the public from further crimes by the defendant; and provide the defendant with …

Correctional officers should also possess the following specific qualities:

• Good judgment.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Negotiating skills.
• Physical strength.
• Resourcefulness.
• Self discipline.

Sentencing is the imposition of a criminal sanction by a sentencing authority , such as a judge. Schmallger & Smykla, 2009, pg# 71) There are seven goals of sentencing including revenge, retribution, just deserts, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation and restoration.

Some defendants can stay out on bail even after they’ve been convicted. People who have been accused of crime have a general right to bail pending trial. In some instances, defendants can get out on bail even after they’ve been convicted and sentenced, while they appeal their convictions.

For less serious or first-time felonies, the judge can usually sentence a person to either jail time or probation, instead of prison. If the crime involves serious physical harm, like murder or aggravated assault, a convicted felon will likely face a lengthy prison sentence.

Originally Answered: If you’re convicted of a felony, is your life over? NO! Being convicted of a felony doesn’t mean the end of your life. It may make things more difficult for you but your life isn’t over.

In my experience, public defenders fight very hard and win a lot of cases. It is not true at all that they only do the bare minimum to get by. The charge that they do not return phone calls has, unfortunately, somewhat more truth to it.

The only con of hiring a private attorney is the cost. However, you often get what you pay for in life. A big difference between a public defender vs private attorney is the fact that if a lawyer does a poor job their business will suffer. A public defender gets more cases than they can handle no matter the outcomes.

Advantages of Hiring a Private Lawyer Private lawyers usually do not have nearly as many cases as public defenders. This allows them to have more one on one time with clients. This time can be used to get better acquainted with the defendant and to discover information that can aid the defense.

An order to dismiss a case can occur when the appellate court, having reversed the conviction on the grounds of a bad search or arrest, examines what’s left of the case and determines that there is not enough evidence to warrant another trial.

Only the prosecutor or the arresting officer is able to drop charges. By contrast, having charges against a person dismissed is something that can be done by either the prosecutor or a judge, but it can only be done after the case has already been filed. Only the prosecutor’s office can make that decision.