Prior criminal history can lead to more serious sentence

Can your prior record be used against you in a court of law? Yes.

Facing any type of crime is a strenuous ordeal to begin with, but if a defendant has a prior criminal history and the prosecutor intends to use that against him, that can cause more problems for you. If a case goes to trial, evidence of prior convictions can sometimes be withheld from the view of a jury, if those prior convictions are not similar to the case at hand.

Prior felony convictions can lengthen your sentence in two ways:

1. Prior record scoring - Your prior records can greatly extend a new sentence, depending on the number and types of offenses.
2. Habitual sentencing enhancement - Prosecutors may use your prior records to apply habitual offender enhancements, extending sentences already lengthened by prior variable scoring by another 100%.

To learn more about prior record variable scoring and habitual sentencing, visit SafeandJust.org

An investigation into an alleged crime is a thorough and well thought out process. Anyone facing allegations of a crime or misdemeanor crimes should immediately start putting together the correct information for a strong criminal defense.

If you or a loved one is facing a felony or misdemeanor charge, contact us. Dan Geherin is a criminal attorney in Washtenaw County serving clients in Ann Arbor and throughout Southeast Michigan and can be reached at (734) 263-2780.