We begin our defense strategy the minute we receive your first phone call to our office. Our goal is, first and foremost, to obtain the best possible disposition of your case. In a perfect world that would, of course, be a dismissal of the charges or failing that, a verdict of not guilty. In some cases, however, this is just not realistic or possible. Depending on the particular facts of the case or the wishes of our client sometimes the best possible disposition is to minimize the sentence or secure a favorable and creative alternative sentence.
What exactly does this mean? Although the goal of juvenile court is, at least to some extent, rehabilitation, the goal of the system in adult court is pure punishment. What could be more of a punishment than incarceration? This is why the sentence is, generally speaking, jail time. However, that doesn’t mean it is the only sentence that is possible. When a dismissal or not guilty appears to be an impossibility, we immediately start thinking creatively as to what would be acceptable to the court but be more advantageous to our client. In alternative sentencing it is our job to present you in the best possible light, and to highlight any unusual circumstances that have a bearing on your case.
The goal of alternative sentencing is to have you sleep in your own bed, be in your own home, be with your loved ones and be able to take care of sick or infirm loved ones while still satisfying the system’s demand for punishment.
The following are some examples of alternative sentencing:
be released into the community both before sentencing and after through the use of electronic confinement in combination with drug and alcohol monitoring.
- Work furlough – In this case you are allowed to leave in the morning to go to work. You return in the evening and spend the night in the municipal jail. You continue to do this until you have fulfilled the required number of days ordered.
- Weekend jail – In some instances you will check into the municipal jail Friday evening and stay there until Monday morning. At that time you will go off to work and stay in your own home until Friday night when you will check in for another weekend stay. This will be repeated until the number of jail days ordered have been satisfied.
- Trusty Program -- Some municipal jails will allow you to essentially work off your punishment. In this case, you would arrive at the jail in the morning and work there all day, doing whatever they ask, and then leave in the afternoon, just like a job. This would go on until you have satisfied the number of days ordered.
In order to be persuasive in convincing the judge to grant any alternative sentence, the attorney needs to have tremendous credibility with the court. In 30 years of practicing law in Southern California, Mr. Loewenstein has built a solid reputation with the courts for fair dealing and honest representation. He is able to secure these alternative sentences precisely because he is trusted by the judges.