Pretrial Intervention in New Jersey
You’ve been arrested and charged with a crime in New Jersey. It’s scary. Thoughts race through your head: How do I avoid jail? How do I avoid a criminal record? How do I keep this from affecting my job? What do I do if I’m not guilty? Being charged with a crime is something no one wants to go through, but if it happens, you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense lawyer to fight for you from the start. If you are charged with a crime in New Jersey, one option you must always explore is whether you are eligible for pretrial intervention, or “PTI.”
If you have been charged with a crime in New Jersey and are a first-time or non-violent offender, then PTI can offer the ability to avoid jail time and avoid having a criminal conviction on your record. If you are admitted into the PTI program and successfully complete it, then you will not have a criminal record, but admission into PTI is neither automatic nor easy. Luckily, the experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorneys at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski are former prosecutors who know what it takes to get our clients into PTI. In order to qualify, the following must be true: no prior admissions in PTI or the Veterans Diversion Program; no prior conditional dismissals or discharges in municipal court; and no prior admissions in a similar type of diversionary program in another state or federal court
Step one for obtaining PTI in New Jersey is writing an effective application, which the experienced criminal defense attorneys and former prosecutors at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski know how to do. We take our time to interview you and find out the complete story surrounding the case and your entire background. Only then, once we know who our client is and where our client is coming from, can we tell the right story – your story – that will give our client the best shot at getting accepted into PTI.
PTI in New Jersey is a one-time offer to keep your record free of a criminal conviction. Because of that, a discussion must always be had if a given case is the right time for you to apply to PTI. It is also important to remember that just because you have a criminal record or the crime charged carries a presumption of incarceration or a mandatory minimum period of parole ineligibility, you still may be eligible for PTI.
The experienced criminal defense attorneys at Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski have successfully gotten our clients into PTI by helping them tell their story through an effective PTI application. If you have been charged with a crime in New Jersey, you need to consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney who can help you understand all your options, including whether you are eligible and if you should apply to PTI. Our criminal defense group consists of experienced former prosecutors who have utilized PTI for their clients in courts throughout New Jersey including Essex County, Union County, Morris County, Passaic County, Hudson County, and Somerset County, Monmouth County, and Ocean County. If you have been charged with a criminal offense and think you might be eligible for PTI, call or email Brandon D. Minde, Chair of the firm’s Criminal Law Practice, for a free consultation at (908) 272-0200 or bminde@dughihewit.com.
