Persons who have been convicted of drug charges constitute a huge proportion California’s inmate population. Recently, however, a number of extensive changes to California’s drug laws have redefined drug crime definitions, charges, and penalty guidelines. Adults in California are now allowed to possess a small amount of marijuana for personal recreational use. Some of the other drug charges that were previously felonies are now prosecuted as misdemeanors.
Still, a conviction for a drug crime in California is likely to be penalized with a lengthy probation, a substantial fine, and at least a short period of time behind bars. The state’s changing, confusing, and complicated drug laws make it imperative for anyone facing a drug charge to be represented by a knowledgeable defense attorney who stays abreast of the changes and routinely prevails on behalf of clients facing drug charges. If you are in legal trouble over a drug charge, you can obtain the defense representation you need by speaking with an experienced Rancho Cucamonga drug crimes attorney at the law firm of Fakhimi & Associates.
We aggressively fight drug charges on behalf of our clients. We know from experience how devastating a drug crime conviction can be for defendants and their families. Probation, fines, and the possibility of jail are only the beginning of the real penalties. Keeping your job – or finding a job – after a drug conviction is genuinely difficult for most people, and if you are a parent, your suitability for parenthood may come under some harsh and serious scrutiny.
Along with top-quality legal services and aggressive defense representation, the attorneys at Fakhimi & Associates provide something else that is just as important – hope. We consider every potential defense strategy, compile and study the evidence, and interrogate witnesses on your behalf. If the police violated your rights at any point in the investigation, search, or arrest, we may be able to have the evidence against you – or the charge itself – thrown out of court. If you’re not guilty – the drugs in question were not yours, for example, or you have been misidentified for someone else – we will do everything within the law to prove your innocence.
But even in the worst scenario – when the evidence against a defendant is overwhelming and a conviction is certain – an experienced Rancho Cucamonga drug crimes attorney at Fakhimi & Associates can still provide hope. The extensive recent changes in this state’s drug laws have expanded the alternatives to incarceration for many drug convictions, and a variety of counseling, treatment, electronic monitoring, and diversion options are now available to the judges who sentence convicted drug offenders. Fakhimi & Associates will always work on behalf of your best long-term personal interests.
If a convicted drug offender qualifies for a diversion program, he or she must complete a year of treatment and an additional six months of follow-up supervision. In some cases, family counseling, vocational training, or some other appropriate term or condition may be required. When the diversion program has been successfully completed, the offender can petition the court to have the drug charge dismissed, and no permanent criminal record will be created.
According to the California Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs, diversion programs for drug crime defendants keep jail and prison space available for serious and violent offenders, improve public safety by deterring drug-related crimes, and reduce drug abuse by ordering defendants to obtain proven, effective counseling and treatment. To qualify for a diversion program, a defendant charged with a drug crime in California must meet these qualifications:
If your teenager has been arrested on drug charges in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange County, or Riverside County, contact a drug crimes lawyer with Fakhimi & Associates at once. The penalties for drug charges against juveniles can vary greatly in California because judges are given wide discretion when it comes to juvenile sentencing. An experienced Rancho Cucamonga drug crimes attorney at Fakhimi & Associates can help parents and will work diligently on behalf of your child’s best long-term interests.
Obviously, felony convictions for drug crimes carry severe consequences, but the penalties for a misdemeanor conviction can also be quite harsh. A misdemeanor conviction in California can send someone to jail for as long as a year, along with costly fines and a permanent criminal record. And despite the recent changes in California’s drug laws, some drug possession charges can still mean a 25-years-to-life sentence under the Three Strikes Law, which is still in effect in this state.
If you are accused of any drug crime in Southern California – whether it’s international drug trafficking or growing too many pot plants at home – exercise your right to remain silent and insist on having an attorney present for any interrogation. Do not try to act as your own lawyer. You’ll need a criminal defense attorney with considerable experience in California drug cases, someone who can fight aggressively on your behalf.
At Fakhimi & Associates, an experienced Rancho Cucamonga drug crimes attorney stands ready to provide an effective legal defense. We will work tirelessly to get you the best outcome possible. We also provide hope, but we can’t help until you take the first step and make the call. With your future at stake, it is imperative to have skilled, experienced defense representation from a top law firm that routinely prevails on behalf of drug crime defendants in Southern California. Contact us at (714) 705-6701.