Justia Lawyer Rating
badge - California DUI Lawyers Association
badge - California Public Defenders Association
badge - Sacramento County Bar Association
badge - The State Bar of California
badge - United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

A Sacramento Criminal Defense Attorney on Suppressing Confessions

Many people who get arrested become nervous and then start talking. When they feel flustered and confused, especially during interrogation, they may even confess. A Sacramento criminal defense attorney can tell you a confession is likely the most incriminating evidence prosecutors can present against a defendant.

Suppression and Rights of the Defendant

Many times when damaging statements or confessions are made, the likely alternative for that defendant is to cooperate so the prosecution can go after another defendant or accept a guilty plea. If the circumstances in your case allow it, your counsel should try to get your statements and confession suppressed. This means that those statements can’t be entered into evidence at your trial.

A Sacramento criminal defense lawyer can tell you that damaging statements can be suppressed if the Fifth Amendment, the right that prevents a person from incriminating themselves, or the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits a person from being detained, has been violated. Violating a person’s Miranda rights and the Fifth Amendment section that creates a person’s right to representation or a person’s Sixth Amendment right, which affords someone a right to counsel also can lead to a confession being suppressed. Violating the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibit the use of involuntary confessions and state laws that find forced confessions unreliable can be reasons to have statements thrown out of court. And, finally, if the state’s right to counsel rules are violated, the statements can be suppressed.

All You Can Do is Work With What You Have

Despite the confession, your counsel should prepare for a case. A Sacramento criminal defense attorney can tell you this is specifically critical in cases where the defendant has a mental condition, is sick, immature or where authorities gained statements where there was no guilt. DNA evidence has helped in many false confession situations. Indeed, some confessions may end up being the root of a defense. For example, in a rape case, the defendant may have admitted to sexual relations but said it was consensual.

Contact a Sacramento Criminal Defense Lawyer for Assistance

Depending on the circumstances of a case, a confession may be suppressed from court. If you are facing criminal charges and have questions, contact Param Pabla, a Sacramento criminal defense attorney, at (916) 285-7900.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet
★★★★★
“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris
★★★★★
“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.
★★★★★
“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie