Defenses to Florida Drug Possession Charges
What Happens After You Have Been Charged
After you have been arrested and charged, there will likely be a period of time that elapses before your trial. During this time, it is important to seek legal representation as soon as possible. Your lawyer may be able to work out an agreement with the prosecution that will allow you to avoid or reduce jail time in exchange for probation and community service. Your lawyer may also be able to consider and pursue other alternatives for you, like deferred sentencing.
Standard of Proof
If no agreement or plea bargain is reached and you go to trial, the prosecution must convince the jury that you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that if any juror has a single doubt about whether you are guilty of the charges alleged, you should not be convicted. This is a high bar to meet. This more doubt that can be created in the trial process, the harder it is for the prosecution to meet that bar.