Though many parts of the United States are incredibly safe, this does not mean that absolutely all of them are free from crime. In fact, as any criminal attorney would be able to tell you, this is actually far from the case. Criminal attorneys typically deal with a wide array of crimes, from drunk driving to sexual assault to the possession of narcotics to even pimping and prostitution. Criminal attorneys see the seedy underbelly of the United States, of course, but they also see the potential for hope in many of their clients and the real and true desire to turn their lives around in ways that many of us would not even be able to fully comprehend.
Criminal attorneys deal with many a case regarding driving under the influence here in the United States. In fact, at least 10 million people apprehended for driving under the influence each and every year here in the United States. With up to 300,000 people driving drunk a day – and many more driving while otherwise intoxicated under a substance that is not alcohol – it is clear that this presents a very real problem in our world as we know it. One roadside survey, conducted by the National Traffic Highway Administration, even found that more than 20% of all people in pulled over tested positive for some type of mind altering substance, ranging from alcohol to other types of narcotics and even, in some cases, over the counter drugs.
Of course, drunk driving isn’t the only problem that we see in relation to driving under the influence. Driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol is also commonplace, and actually has been estimated to lead to up to 16% of all motor vehicle crashes sustained here in the United States. These drugs, it must be noted, can include legal substances as well as illegal ones and both have the power to pose a considerable danger to other people on the rode and to the driver themselves as well, upping the risk of serious injury or even death in many a case of driving while greatly intoxicated.
And driving under the influence isn’t just illegal – it’s hugely and life-alteringly dangerous as well. In fact, each and every day the United States sees nearly 30 deaths that are related to drunk driving alone. On top of this, a new person is injured every two minutes in a drunk driving related incident. And while some of these injuries might be relatively simple to recover from, many will have life long and lasting implications on the lives of the victims. After all, nearly 40% of all spinal cord injuries are sustained in various motor vehicle accidents throughout the country.
But criminal attorneys certainly don’t just deal with DUI or DUII cases and other such drug crimes. Criminal attorneys also handle sexual assault cases as well. Unfortunately, sexual assault is hugely prominent here in the United States, particularly among the female population of all ages. Unfortunately, for as violent of a crime as it always is, sexual assault is hugely underreported for a number of reasons. Though only 2% of all sexual assault cases are falsely reported, many women fear that they will not be believed if they make the brace choice to report their assaulter and describe their scenario of sexual assault. Because of this, only just over one fourth of all sexual assault cases (around 28% of them, to be more exact) actually end up getting reported.
When a sexual assault case is reported, criminal attorneys often find that they have a huge weight of responsibility on their shoulders. After all, sexual assault is not cut and dry in the way that many other crimes are and a fair trial must be sought for accused even while taking into account the needs of the accuser. For many criminal attorneys and other such legal professionals, this is a fine line to walk and the skill to be able to do so is one that can only be cultivated over time and after many years of practice in the legal world as we know it.
