How to Deal with Accidental Crimes
People with hearts of gold are more praised in our society than the people with hearts of stone. It is said that people hate crime, not criminals. Living a decent life, abiding by the set rules and laws is a desire of many people but sometimes life takes a turn, and even the most respectable ones’ in the society break the laws unknowingly. Most people break a few laws every day, irrespective if they realize it or not. These may include speeding, littering, traversing or downloading copyrighted content, etc. The consequences of such actions might be shed off if the nature of breaking the law is not severe, however, you can still be detained, charged, and convicted of crimes where you broke a law you never knew was a law. Here is what you have to face in such a situation.
Ignorance of Law is Not an Excuse
Many people, after committing a crime accidentally or breaking a law, come up with an excuse that they were not aware of the law. The excuse of not knowing about the laws is not a valid defense to get away with the legal systems. In such a case you might have two options to pursue; either accept the pleading guilty or there is something called “mistake of fact” that a good criminal defense lawyer can use to help in cases where the accused did not know they were breaking the law.
Are Accidental Crimes Punishable?
The nature and severity of accidental crimes determine whether the beholder would be punished or not. There are certain crimes that we all see happening around every day like gambling, consuming alcohol before 21, animal abuse, not wearing a mask while in public places, however, these crimes are not hefty, and sometimes only a minor fine is issued to the wrong-doer. In the case of severe crimes or law-breaking like theft, or using weapons, as long as there is evidence that there was no intent to commit a crime, you cannot be proven guilty in a court of law. If you have been fined for misconduct you did not intentionally commit, you can check with an advocate to see if the police have unjustly charged you.
What to Do to Stay Away From Crimes
Protecting one’s self from crimes and wrong-doing is essential as it not only harms your self-respect but also has devastating effects on your daily work. Either if you have committed the crime accidentally or have unknowingly broken a law, the consequences of such a situation could be adverse. To keep yourself safe even from accident misconduct you have to follow the below guideline;
● Be Observant
Keep your eyes and brain open and look around what is happening, put some effort into learning the basic laws and rules of the legal system.
● Be Confident and Focused
Present yourself in an assertive manner so that people cannot trap you.
● Stay Attentive to People
Try to sense peoples’ intentions to keep yourself away from wrongdoers.
● Trust Yourself
Your gut feeling can tell you about coming threats, be vigilant.
