Legal Question in Criminal Law in Arizona

in arizona can one take full responsibility for a crime another person has commited?


Asked on 11/11/11, 1:17 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Kaitlin Verdura Verdura Law Group PLLC

In any criminal case, the police generally conduct their own independent investigation before they arrest an individual for a crime and submit charges to the prosecuting agency for review. In theory, you could conceivably confess to a crime that you have not committed. However, if your confession doesn't match the evidence collected through the course of the police investigation, the police may continue to investigate until they have arrested the person they believe actually committed the crime.

In addition, a mere confession alone may not be sufficient to establish that a crime has actually occurred. Corpus Delecti is a technical legal issue which requires a more detailed explanation than can be provided on this forum; however, it has important legal consequences that may pertain to your question. Moreover, lying to the court and/or police may result in any number of criminal charges against you including perjury, hindering prosecution and false reporting. This is something worth considering before you take responsibility for something you have not done.

Lastly, it's important to understand that many criminal convictions carry significant penalties and consequences up to an including the complete loss of your freedom and liberty. It�s also important to understand that a criminal conviction is very difficult to overturn, so once you�ve been convicted, there may be no turning back. Hope this helps.

Verdura Law Group PLLC

http://verduralaw.com

602-421-0515

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Answered on 11/11/11, 4:56 pm


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