Desk Appearance Ticket Tips and General Advice
Receiving a desk appearance ticket is a stressful situation. For some people,
it happens during a bad time in their life when they are looking for a
new job, moving, or applying for immigration status. For everyone, a desk
appearance ticket is given in connection with an extremely traumatic experience.
Receiving desk appearance ticket means that you were arrested and here
are some tips for handling it properly.
Tip #1
Treat it seriously. If you have a clean record, you may be unaware of the advantages and benefits
you have received in life because you did not have a criminal record.
That could all change, now. Desk appearance tickets usually charge misdemeanors
and misdemeanors are crimes in New York. . Also, additional charges could
be added in court on the "return date" listed on your desk appearance
ticket. If you are not a US citizen, you could suffer severe hardship
simply because you were arrested and further hardship if you are convicted.
This can happen even if you were in the United States legally when you
received your desk appearance ticket.
Tip #2
Know what it is. This is a criminal prosecution. Occasionally, an arresting officer might
remark that this is just a ticket or that it will just get dropped. This
isn't true. While a speeding ticket may be just a ticket, a desk appearance
ticket signals the beginning of a criminal prosecution in which the District
Attorney is trying to convict and punish you.
Tip #3
Don't make your desk appearance ticket worse. Be careful of the natural desire to handle it by yourself. Common mistakes
involve contacting the court or district Attorney or witnesses prior to
consulting with an attorney. This is because anything you say to a court
employee or prosecuting official could be used against you later. For
example, if you speak with a witness and that witness gets the wrong idea
about your intentions, you could face additional charges in court. If
you contact the court to get the date changed, a misunderstanding could
lead to a warrant being issued for your arrest.
Tip #4
Don't assume anything. Often, the arrest process happened without your input or after you tried
to explain yourself. Even without your input or after a failed attempt
to defend yourself, you were arrested and given a desk appearance ticket
anyway. So, don't assume a Criminal Court judge will be on your side
to any greater extent than the police officer who gave you the desk appearance
ticket. It is a better strategy to be cautious and take your time to prepare
a winning defense.
Tip #5
Don't be in a hurry. Never get rushed into some kind of outcome in court on your desk appearance
ticket court date. Even lenient sounding outcomes could be disastrous
for you. Convictions carry employment, immigration, and civil risk. Any
agreement that you make could lead to other consequences. For example,
having the wrong outcome could even include a deal that avoids jail and
probation if you are a professional, have a professional license, are
not a US citizen, are in danger of being sued or are going to be subjected
to a background check in your future.
Tip #6
Get help with your desk appearance ticket. Contact and experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. This is
not the time to get help from your nephew who took a few law classes or
your friend who is a family law attorney. Instead, you should seek help
from a criminal defense attorney who focuses on criminal cases. This is
because part of a successful defense will involve knowledge of New York's
criminal law and part will involve past successful experience handling
cases similar to yours.