Legal Question in Criminal Law in Massachusetts

arrested for disorderly conduct , what should I prepair for?

I am 21 years old, no criminal record. I was on a college campus on Halloween night. I was outside on the campus, the cops stopped me and started asking me questions about what i was doing there. I was not causing any sort of scene of disturbance at first. They asked me who I was there with and I didn't tell them. They slapped the cuffs on me. They initially did not tell me what I was being arrested for, in fact when I asked them they said I was tresspassing if I didn't know any one there. But I was charged with disorderly. I was pretty drunk, but they never questioned me on that, or told me that that was the problem. I spent the night in jail for what I feel is no reason. What I'm asking is what is going to happen in court tommorow? What are they going to ask me? Do I need to submit a plea? What will be the options for me? Should I get a defense attorney? I am broke, but I really don't want a record. Thanks


Asked on 11/02/08, 7:12 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Gregory Casale Gregory Casale Attorney At Law

Re: arrested for disorderly conduct , what should I prepair for?

You really should try to get an attorney if you want to maintain your clean criminal record. There are things that can be done to keep it clean, but they need to be done early in the process and you would likely need an attorney to get them done.

Aside from that, they will either offer to dispose of the case at your first appearance or they will enter a plea of Not Guilty on your behalf and give you a Pre-Trial Conference date by which time you can come back with an attorney or represent yourself. Since it is unlikey that anything that you are charged with will cause the possibility of jail, they may not offer you a court appointed attorney. The money you save on the lawyer today will be long forgotten 20 years from now when you are kicking yourself for not hiring one to try to keep your record clean.

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Answered on 11/03/08, 10:28 am
James Hall Qua, Hall, Harvey & Walsh

Re: arrested for disorderly conduct , what should I prepair for?

You should consult with an attorney. Based on the facts you relayed, it appears that you have the ability to resolve this without a conviction. What town/city did this occur in?

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Answered on 11/02/08, 8:11 pm


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