When someone hears the term criminal defense, the first image that often comes to mind is a dramatic courtroom scene. A lawyer passionately argues for their client while a judge listens carefully and a jury watches every move. In reality, criminal defense is far more complex and much more important than television ever shows. For anyone living in the United States, understanding how criminal defense works can mean the difference between freedom and years of difficulty.
Criminal defense refers to the strategies, rights, and legal protections that stand between an individual accused of a crime and the government’s attempt to convict them. In the U.S. justice system, every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But that presumption is only meaningful if the accused has a strong defense on their side.