Virginia Insanity Defense Attorneys With a Competitive Edge
Many criminal defense attorneys have experience with the run-of-the-mill, common issues involved with criminal defense. Criminal defendants face a problem, however, if issues come into play during the trial like mental state at the time of the crime or capacity to stand trial. Most attorneys simply don't have the experience to maximize the issue of mental health for their clients. If you are facing criminal charges, you want every advantage you can get.
One of the competitive edges that we provide for our clients in the criminal justice system is our experience and knowledge regarding complex intersection between mental health issues in the criminal defense process. An attorney needs to have experience to handle these issues properly. As former public defenders, our Fairfax mental health defense lawyers have handled this issue many times. Kissiah & Schaefer, PLLC, can help you.
Types of Mental Health Issues in Criminal Defense Practice
As former public defenders, we have experience with many of the issues involved with mental states in the criminal justice system:
- Insanity pleas: If you were unable to understand what you were doing, or if you were acting upon an irresistible impulse, you might be not guilty by reason of insanity, which means that most of the criminal sanctions would be replaced by mental health treatment and other restorative treatments.
- Competency and restoration: A criminal defendant must be competent to stand trial. As former public defenders, we have a great deal of experience with the standards of competence and the legal processes involved with competence and restoration issues.
- Mental health as mitigation: Even when mental state isn't used as a plea, we can often use it to mitigate the sentences our clients receive. When the judge or jury understands that you were not yourself when the crime took place, they may be empathetic and lenient.
- Civil commitments: Often a concerned loved one will try to help a mentally ill child or spouse by forcible admittance into a mental health facility. We can represent you in a civil commitment case of this kind.
It is difficult enough to gain empathy for someone accused of a crime. If that person exhibits signs of mental instability, it is virtually impossible. We have experience helping people mitigate their punishment because of their mental states in a way that judges and juries understand. We are a voice for our clients in the criminal justice system.
Fairfax County Criminal Mental Health Lawyers | 571-308-2041 | Free Consultations
Either e-mail us or call our Fairfax, Virginia, office to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our criminal defense attorneys.
