If you have a criminal case pending in Los Angeles, how can you avoid jail time due to the virus? This is a good question because many people are fearful of jail, but when you combine the fact that there's the Coronavirus. You could go to LA County jail and be exposed to the Coronavirus because the jail population is too compacted together; if one person gets it, multiple people get it.

This is an excellent time to attempt to avoid jail time.  Believe it or not, the sheriffs, the judges, the prosecutors — they don't want the jails to become overran because what will end up happening is they're just going to have let everybody out.

I read an article yesterday in Orange County that the sheriff in Orange County has been given the authority that if things get too far out of hand, he can just let everybody out of custody.  I don't think they want to do that, but the point is they're taking precautionary measures right now.

I just appeared on a three-strikes case in Long Beach, and they gave my client credit for time served.  Now, the underlying offense wasn't a violent one.  It wasn't a serious one, but the guy was still looking at prison time, but they gave him credit for time served because they wanted to clear out the jail population to try and get past this Coronavirus.

As I make this post on the website, there are people in LA county jail who are quarantined and have the Coronavirus.  Sheriff's deputies have died.  There are all sorts of nasty things going on. Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers will examine this topic below. 

Now probably is the time to make a good argument in a case that you might typically get jail or prison time, to avoid that if you can. In addition to not just going to be the Coronavirus, we will have to bring up other factors that make sense for the prosecutors not to give you jail or prison time.

Because what they're trying to do is protect the public.  So, if they think you're a danger to the public, they're still going to seek jail or prison time regardless of the Corona Virus.

I've got several cases pending that are severe charges, and I cannot get the prosecutors to offer a no-jail time offer. I'm trying to get the people out of custody because their bail is so high.  Someone has a million-dollar bail.

For the judge to O.R. release that person, it would be an extraordinary measure because the judge would take some accountability and responsibility if they let the person out and something terrible happened to another victim. Then the victim's family would be looking at that judge and saying, why did you let this guy out?

Keeping Clients Out of Custody

So, you have to look at everything in context when you're talking about jail time and prison time and how the Coronavirus impacts that.  I think the virus will probably affect jail and prison time for the rest of 2020.

I'm trying to think of creative ways to keep my clients out of custody — not only for their safety and health — but obviously, nobody wants to go to jail, so this is another reason I see in addition to a myriad of other reasons to be able to argue that my client shouldn't be put in custody.

So, if you're fearful of the Coronavirus and being put in jail, you'll want to have a good conversation with somebody like me who has handled thousands of cases over the last 26 years.  I'm available.  All you have to do is pick up the phone and call me.

We can start by talking over the phone, find out exactly what's going on with you, and then see what we can do to help you get through this because I know it is challenging.  It's one thing to have a criminal case pending against you — that's a lot of weight on your head — it's also another thing worrying about going into custody in such dire times with this virus spreading so rapidly and being so contagious.

To alleviate some of that stress and get this problem dealt with, you need to talk to an attorney who's got experience and knows what it takes to get the job done for you.