Families of Prisoners Support Group
This community is dedicated to families that have been disrupted by prison. Having a loved one incarcerated or having been incarcerated comes with its own unique challenges that require support and understanding. Join the group to find others who know what you're going through, and to seek advice or share your experience.
We are fortunate to have a criminal defense attorney with a very good reputation and a long relationship with both the DA and the judge on our case. I know we are luckier than most, because of the expense. And he has been good about emailing and calling- he responds to my emails very quickly, and has visited A several times, just to keep him up to date and to reassure him that he's doing everything he can.
However, I feel frustrated, because his answers to my questions are never really clear. I asked him about how much time A has to serve on his sentence, and he told me ten months on a year. Then today he sent me a note saying the "minimum served is 8 months on a year." So...which one is it?? I feel confused, and this has happened several times, with him giving me vague, non-specific answers.
Has anyone else had this experience?
However, I feel frustrated, because his answers to my questions are never really clear. I asked him about how much time A has to serve on his sentence, and he told me ten months on a year. Then today he sent me a note saying the "minimum served is 8 months on a year." So...which one is it?? I feel confused, and this has happened several times, with him giving me vague, non-specific answers.
Has anyone else had this experience?
I had one that used to be the DA in that county. He knew the DA, and fixed it so we dumped the judge I was supposed to have, and got his golf buddy and college chum as my judge. I got off easy. I loved that attorney and the judge was funny.
It happens like that for sure in smaller towns. So one plus for small towns. That's about it though.
But on the bright side, your love could be back with you in as little as 8 months?? That's awesome :) I hope that will be the case for Jordan and I. Good luck to you and your guy :)
Jellyfish
We had a public defender initially, because I couldn't hire an attorney, but when my brother found out, he stepped in and hired the attorney. Thank god for my brother, really. The public defender seemed overwhelmed and confused. Our attorney now is very good, really- he just makes me feel stupid sometimes!
You had a good attorney who served you well. He did some good things with your guy's case.
Criminal defense attorneys do not like to make definite predictions. Why? Because they probably don't know.
Most attorneys know very little about the prison system. They will not usually give a definite opinion of how much time a defendant will actually spend in prison. There are too many variables and too much can happen to influence the time an inmate might spend in prison for a particular sentence.
You are trying to pin him down for a more concrete answer and he just does not know. I understand your wanting to know, but there is no way your attorney can know.
It depends on A's conduct, how many programs he takes, the DOC policy toward good time credits and several other factors.
He can give you a ball park figure and that is the best he can do. Attorneys hate to be definite because if something happens and they are wrong, many clients really get angry.
rewdiazepam
Thank you for reminding me, the attorney can only say so much. I am grateful that we have such a good one. He's been very compassionate, and yes, he did get the best deal he could. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we get through all the testing & evals and we can see the end of this as soon as possible!