Awareness of Due Process in Criminal Cases

Of course, every client deserves representation by a professional and experienced attorney. And it needs several points to consider because the selection of criminal defense lawyer matters a lot to get rid of the offense quickly. It is the lawyer who deals investigation to trial to post-trial.

As far as due process in criminal case is concerned, one is required to know about major rights which will be discussed in this article.

Presumption of Innocence

Due process in criminal cases includes presumption of innocence. The main effect of this guarantee is that any person is not a convict unless he has been found guilty by the prosecution. Different kinds of criminal cases demand different proof as evidence of guilt. And the prosecution works on certain proofs to justify whether the person has committed the crime or not.

Right to be heard

Various kinds of rights come under the Right to be heard. Such rights include right to be present at the trial, right to an impartial judge, right to counsel, etc. Right of confrontation is also there which means to challenge the accuser and one right is to secure the attendance of witnesses.

Right to counsel

This is the fact that ordinary citizens do not come with any kind of skills or professional knowledge to defend themselves when it is to face the trial. And here, it is the duty of judge to persuade the accused for things like he has a right to have counsel pleading guilty or not guilty, to inform the accused whether he needs the aid of counsel or not, he needs legal services, etc. In case, the accused needs legal aid or counsel help, the judge offers reasonable time to do so. There is a term called as “counsel de officio” which means the person can take help of lawyer appointed by the court.

Right to be informed

The objectives of Right to be informed includes to let the accused get the description of the charge against him to prepare his defense, to inform about facts of the court and the principle of Double Jeopardy. According to the principle of Double Jeopardy, the accused are provided with conviction or acquittal for protection from further prosecution.

Apart from these, there are several rights of criminal cases which are required to know by the person facing legal difficulties. And by knowing them, it will become easier to face different legal situations.