Categories of Affirmative Criminal Defenses

Suppose you want to engage a Daytona Beach criminal lawyer. In that case, you’ll want an experienced, reputable, and reliable attorney. Such an attorney will likely assure you of better odds of winning your case. Yet, you must understand that criminal law provides an affirmative defense category further categorized into three. Here are a few insights into these three subcategories.

Excuse Defenses

An excuse defense exempts you from liability, thanks to particular circumstances. However, this defense shows that it does not condone the result of your actions. Ideally, you will admit to the crime and illustrate an excuse for your actions. Insanity and mental illness are among the most common excuses in such instances.

This strategy has proven invaluable and is associated with a high success rate. However, its success depends on how reasonable the excuse is. For example, suppose you rob a store. In that case, your excuse could be extensive duress from your wife, who was being held hostage, forcing you to commit the crime.

Alibi Affirmative

An alibi defense is the most common strategy used. It seeks to prove that you were not anywhere close to where the crime was committed. In this case, you are not admitting any crime, involvement, or responsibility in the actions. In brief, you are not guilty of the crime. An excellent lawyer will help provide evidence of a legitimate alibi, cushioning you against various complications in the long run.

Justification Defense

You can also justify your actions as a defense to your actions. Ideally, this strategy aims to explain why you committed the crime and why it was necessary. Self-defense is a perfect example of this category. For instance, suppose you kill an armed intruder. In this case, self-defense will suffice.

Crime happens. Having a reliable attorney by your side will help protect your rights. They will establish the best strategy, including those above, to improve the odds of your case.