The sad fact is that even though the city of Baltimore experienced a big drop in its crime rate from 1993 to 2010, it still boasts a higher rate than the national average. Criminal defense attorneys are kept quite busy in Baltimore and at times it doesn’t appear that there’s much they can do to stem the tide. Baltimore violent crimes lawyers tend to have the unenviable position of defending some of the worst offenders and also seek to serve as counsel to those that have been handed significantly harsh sentences compared to those that have committed much more serious crimes but received far less punishment.
To say that the legal system of the United States can be problematic is an understatement, and it’s likely that several criminal defense attorneys would agree. The best criminal defense attorneys, not just the most successful, will argue that the job of any Baltimore violent crimes lawyer is to assess the actions of their clients and address their crimes in a manner that will bring justice to all involved.
The job of a criminal defense attorney isn’t just to get paid, after all, it’s to serve their client to the best of their ability. Assault attorneys and Baltimore violent crimes lawyers share the task of attempting to defend their clients, but are also expected to do their part to help reduce such issues as recidivism and repeat offenses.
There are also other measures that can and should be taken by criminal defense attorneys that will eventually help to lower crime rates and thereby ensure the safety of the city. There are likely some criminal defense attorneys that are not one hundred percent ethical in their way and might fear that they would lose too much business, but the best criminal defense attorneys are those that seek to stand up for what’s right and will defend their clients, while also seeking to make their city a better place for all those within its borders.
Here are a few ways that Baltimore’s violent crimes lawyers can help to decrease the crime rate in their city.
Community Outreach Programs Funded and Led by Criminal Defense Attorneys
The truth behind criminal defense attorneys is that their work in the courtroom is just one step in the entire legal process, and it’s also up to assault attorneys and Baltimore’s best violent crimes lawyers to provide their clients with the best defense possible. As a result, the best criminal defense attorneys will find a way to interact with the community in various capacities so as to get a sense of who their client is, what they mean to their community, and why they’re worth mounting such a staunch defense for.
Gaining the trust of a given community is important to law enforcement and to criminal defense attorneys since it announces that those within the legal system care about the citizens and will do whatever is necessary to not only defend them, but will actively seek out a way to keep the same crimes from happening. More outreach like this could help reduce the high rate of crime in Baltimore.
Criminal Defense Attorneys Can Make a Push for Greater Reform Efforts
As many Baltimore violent crimes lawyers might agree with, the recidivism rate is between 6.5 to 9%, but it’s possible that it could be even less with increased reform and an effort to teach and rehabilitate prisoners. The efforts made to educate prisoners and to check up on parolees have been ongoing for a while, but it would appear that the efforts made could be increased in order to continue the decline in the number of parolees that return to a life of crime. The best criminal defense attorneys could likely attest to the idea that there are many things that can be improved upon and implemented when teaching young, at-risk kids and adolescents how to avoid earning prison sentences.
There is still a belief that many criminals that have been released from prison are largely incapable of functioning within an ordered and law-abiding society, but as a few criminal defense attorneys might admit that this is because they have been products of the system in which they live and as a result have become lifetime criminals that have few if any other skills that they can use to support themselves and a family. In this case, it is not just reform that needs to be addressed, but the idea that the communities that these individuals come from, and the need to affect change in the overall environment.
A Criminal Defense Attorney Can Serve as a Voice of Change
As an individual, there is much that a criminal defense attorney can do to affect the crime rate in Baltimore and it starts with doing the best job they can when defending their client and the client’s rights. While some offenders have earned harsh and unforgiving sentences, it’s still important to create an incentive for these offenders to better themselves while incarcerated so, that upon returning to society, they’re able to contribute something and keep themselves from repeat offenses. The best criminal defense attorneys are those that will actively fight for the rights of their clients and will seek to ensure that they are given the chance to become better educated and find the means to improve their station in society once they are allowed back onto the streets.
Criminal defense attorneys are in a very key position that can effect change on a big scale if they are willing to give their time and make the effort towards making certain that criminals are given a second chance in life. They are also able to connect with their communities so as to educate those that have not yet seen the inside of a courtroom as to the severity of the life that might one day be theirs.
Wrapping Up
It might not appear that a criminal defense attorney is anything other than a gatekeeper when it comes to the legal system and affecting the crime rate in any city, but their influence and their ability to help educate and advocate for reform can help to turn the lives of many individuals around, and possibly alleviate the crime rate in any location, including Baltimore.
