Greenwich Assault Penalties
The penalties associated with assault in Greenwich depends on the degree of the assault. If you are facing assault charges in Greenwich, it is important to contact a Greenwich assault lawyer as soon as possible.
Penalties for Different Degrees of Assault
First degree assault penalties include up to:
- 20 years imprisonment,
- Five years probation,
- And/or a $15,000 fine.
Second degree assault penalties include up to:
- Five years imprisonment,
- Three years probation,
- And/or a $5,000 fine.
Third degree assault penalties include up to:
- One year imprisonment,
- Two years probation,
- And/or a $2,000 fine.
Enhanced Penalties
If the result of the assault caused serious bodily harm, or even the intention of the assault was to cause serious bodily harm then that can lead to an enhanced penalty. Assault on a police officer, or an elderly, blind, or disabled in some degree individual would lead to an enhanced penalty. Additionally, the use of a dangerous or deadly instrument or weapon, like a gun or bat, could cause the penalties for a Greenwich assault charge to increase.
Enhancing penalties means that the act increases the mandatory minimum penalty of the crime or even heightens the degree charged. So, if the normal mandatory minimum is one year of imprisonment, the enhanced penalty situation may say that it is a mandatory minimum of two years. If a second degree assault is committed on a police officer may increase the penalties that would be for a first degree assault.
Accelerated Rehabilitation
A first time offender of a second degree assault or lower would be eligible for Accelerated Rehabilitation. If it is a second degree assault, the person would have to show a good cause in addition to what they would normally have to show, but for a third degree, then the person would be eligible for AR.
In order to get accepted for accelerated rehabilitation, the defendant needs to convince the judge that the crime, although serious, is not so serious as to prevent this person from having an opportunity to use this diversionary program. Additionally, they need to make it clear that they are not going to offend again in the future.
The judge will be looking not only the circumstances of the crime itself, but also the history and character of the person involved in it to understand whether this is somebody that generally has been a law abiding citizen and is not likely to offend again in the future.
Family Reunification Program
If the assault was committed against a family member, then there is a different program called the family reunification program. The individual charged may be eligible for a family violence education program, which will involve them using or taking any number or degree of family violence education classes in order to rehabilitate the person and help them understand better how to control their actions within the family environment.
Importance of a Greenwich Assault Attorney to Defend Against Penalties
When facing Greenwich assault penalties, the importance of an attorney is to make sure that the circumstances do not get worse an individual would want to make sure that they are not incriminating themselves or creating any kind of situation that may aggravate or exacerbate the situation that has already happened. The important thing for every defendant to remember is that the event has already happened and cannot get better. However, it can get worse if the person does not understand what their rights are and what they should and should not be saying or doing.