Wrongful conviction can damage a person’s reputation, costing them their job, family, and livelihood. Once convicted, you will forever carry a mark that can make it hard to restore your life after you serve your sentence. Seeing a lot of Americans incarcerated for crimes they did not commit is a sad fact. If you are one of them, you would want to know your legal options. If you have been wrongfully convicted, you need an experienced Las Vegas Civil Rights Attorney to review your case and advise you of the options that may help you get out of your situation.
Reasons a Person can be Wrongfully Convicted
A lot of Americans are wrongfully convicted because of the following reasons:
- Withholding exonerating evidence. Sometimes, law enforcement, prosecutors, and district attorneys can obtain evidence that can exonerate a defendant but don’t turn this evidence over to the defense. By withholding this evidence, they let a person spend years in jail for something they did not do.
- Planting or fabricating evidence. In some instances, certain parties may plant evidence at a crime scene or on the suspect, so they can be arrested and convicted. Proving that a piece of evidence is fabricated takes a lot of time and effort and if the defense fails to do so, the judge will convict and put the accused behind bars.
- Coercing suspects to confess. A lot of convicts serve sentences after being coerced by law enforcement to confess to crimes they did not commit. Coercions can come in a lot of forms including threats to the suspect or to their loved ones, false promises, or tricks.
Can You Get Compensation for Wrongful Conviction?
If you have bene put behind bars wrongfully, you have a civil rights claim. You can be awarded compensation for job placement, mental health treatment, education, and more. This compensation can help you move on with and fix your life. Your attorney will make sure you ask for a fair amount of compensation based on the facts of your case. They will take your needs into account and build a case that meets them.
When you hire a civil rights attorney to represent you, they will start investigating how the wrongful conviction took place. This may be interview witnesses, read court transcripts, review the evidence presented, and depose people who can explain what happened. After building your case, your lawyer wil bring it to trial as a civil lawsuit.
