As a criminal defense attorney based out of Tulsa, OK I have seen first hand the money that the War on Drugs siphons away from our schools, healthcare, and other much more important programs. Oklahoma’s archaic drug laws cost this state millions, if not billions, of dollars per year. From the money that we pay officers to arrest non-violent drug offenders to the money we pay public defenders and other court appointed attorneys to represent these individuals to the money that it costs to incarcerate these non-violet offenders… this is the siphon. Most offenders charged with drug crimes are not gang or cartel members they are simply people with a problem yet we continue to incarcerate them at tax payer expense. These individuals are generally guilty of nothing more than simple possession and of making poor life decisions. Yet we lock them up at a staggering cost to the public and provide no treatment to try and battle the addiction that led them to prison. This stance insures that the person will most likely reoffend when they are released into the public in worse shape than when they went into prison.
The war on drugs takes money from education, road work and many other essential programs in the state of Oklahoma and around the country. If we were to decriminalize drugs, or at least make simple possession only a ticket and a fine, the siphon would end and our state would be better off financially than ever before.
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Pick the Right Attorney: The Lowest Price Isn’t Always a Bargain
A person facing criminal charges, whether they are felony or misdemeanor, has a very important decision to make and it is one that they may be betting their life on; picking an attorney to represent them. As a criminal defense attorney in Oklahoma I have seen time and time again where people simply go price shopping for a attorney and go with the lowest bidder, this is not a sound strategy when picking a lawyer. Remember the old saying “you get what you pay for”, well the same is true when picking an attorney. I’m not saying that you need the most expensive attorney in town but I am saying beware of an attorney who sets his prices well below other attorneys in his field. Many time these lawyers who set their prices low do so because they know they are going to sign you up for the first plea deal that the DA offers and it will require very little work on their part. This is not what you want when your life and/or livelihood is on the line. Here are a few tips when looking for a competent criminal defense attorney:
1) Look for an attorney who focuses on criminal defense. A common misconception in the public is that attorneys are competent in all areas of the law and that is simply not true. Most attorneys specialize in one or two fields and become masters of those areas of law in order to represent their clients competently in those areas. You will find attorneys that are jack of all trades but as the saying goes they are jacks of all trades and masters of none. I would want a master of his trade if my life or livelihood was on the line.
2) Don’t go cheap! Would you go out to a used car lot and tell the salesman you want the cheapest car on the lot? Of course not because you know you would get some car that wouldn’t make it around the block with out breaking down. So why on earth would you go cheap when your life depends on it? Go with a reasonably priced criminal defense attorney you’ll thank me for it in the long run.
3) Find a criminal trial lawyer. This is another misconception that the public has about criminal attorneys and that is that all of them can try cases. This is not true, in fact there are very few criminal defense attorneys who try cases and are competent in doing so. But hiring a trial attorney can benefit you even if you don’t want to take the case to trial. Prosecutors are much more likely to give favorable plea offers to trial attorneys because there is a real threat to the prosecutor of having to go to trial and possibly losing. Although a trial lawyer may be a little more expensive it will save you money in the long run.
These are just a few tips to hire a competent criminal defense attorney for your felony or misdemeanor matter but also rely on your instincts, if the lawyer your talking to doesn’t feel right for you then he probably isn’t and you should move on until you find one that you are comfortable working with.