In the state of Washington, drug crimes can come with a high cost for a suspect that is convicted by the court. Penalties can cost thousands in fines, years behind bars and more. Those found guilty can have their life changed by the sentencing that they are given. These crimes in the past have been handled by the state courts however; some crimes that are committed can break federal laws and will be tried in a different court. The federal court in Seattle is experimenting with their tactics for trying and prosecuting these crimes. They are taking a page from the state courts which use specialized drug programs as a part of their system. This new development gained some assistance being pushed through from the U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez. He also has been involved with developing the treatment plan and what will be required of those that become a part of the program.
It is aimed at those that have less severe charges that committed their crimes out of an addiction to the drug, rather than committing the crime for the mere profit of it. They will have to have no prior sexual or violent offenses in their past, no mental health problems that are uncontrollable and no more than two felonies in order to be eligible. The federal court is commonly thought to only deal with the higher up cases but this will give them influence in rehabilitating convicted individuals. In order to avoid the harsher penalties of a conviction, the individual that is found guilty will need to agree to enter in to the program which will generally run between a year or two. This may benefit them greatly to avoid jail time or higher fines and to enter back in to society. It is expected that the program will start off small and focus on about 10 individuals in the first year. When charged with a crime the best option is to fight against the penalties but in some cases there may be options that can be explored in the negotiations process. Work with a caring Seattle criminal lawyer from our firm to learn more.