Everyone should have some knowledge when it comes to the law, and most especially criminal law. Some people think that because they are law abiding citizens, then there is no longer any need for them to bother knowing anything about how the law works. They couldn't be more wrong.

If you take on that kind of attitude then how would you turn out, if you or one of your loved ones were accused of a crime? That can be a very traumatizing experience, but you have to be able to handle it or it could be worse. In order for you to handle it, you need to have knowledge of criminal law.

How Knowledge of Criminal Law Helps

You don't have to be a legal expert, but some knowledge of criminal law can help ensure that you will not have your rights trampled. The most important thing is for you to know what your rights are and what you are required to do under the law. There are certain things that law enforcers cannot compel you to do even if you are already suspected of a crime.

Criminal Law Tips

The following are some tips that you should keep in mind concerning criminal law. You would find this helpful when you or your loved one is accused of doing a criminal act.

· A policeman cannot search you, your car, and your house if you do not give them permission to do so and if they don't have a warrant to do it. You can refuse to let them search until you get a lawyer. That is within your rights.

· When you get arrested by the police, you are not obligated by the law to talk to them. You can refuse to say anything because that might be used against you when you have to face trial. You can decide to wait until you have an attorney to help you out.

· If you have been convicted for some criminal act in the past then that might be taken against you. This would especially be the case when your previous conviction is for something related to your current case. That would be seen by the court as a sign that you might not be willing to change your ways and so you can be a risk to society.

· Each crime would have a mandatory sentence that would be the minimum for it. This means that when you plead guilty to an accusation, you might have to face time jail time depending on the case. Be sure that you know what that mandatory sentence is.

· There are cases where criminal records can be completely removed from your files. This would be through the process of expungement.

· If you have been accused of conspiring with others to perform a criminal act, then you will get the same sentence as all the other members would be getting.

These are just some of the useful things that you should know when it comes to criminal law today. Hopefully you would never have to use this knowledge.