A lot of people who have been accused of criminal wrongdoing think that they don’t need to build a criminal defense until they’ve been charged with a crime. Sometimes, though, waiting until that point can be too little, too late.

Your defense starts once you come under investigation. This is because many accused individuals often make costly mistakes when they’re under investigation that increase their risk of being convicted and incarcerated. You don’t want that to happen to you.

So, what can you do to protect yourself? Let’s take a closer look at some of the mistakes that you’ll want to avoid in your criminal case.

Common mistakes that you’ll want to avoid when under criminal investigation

There are more mistakes that can be made during the criminal investigation process than many people realize. Here are some of the most common and serious ones that you’ll want to avoid:

1. Trying to talk your way out of suspicion: You might think that you can get out in front of a criminal investigation by telling the police a story that will explain away any suspicions that may exist. But this can be a dangerous move, as you may end up talking yourself into deeper trouble. After all, the police can twist your words out of context and later use them against you in a criminal prosecution.
2. Talking to others about the investigation: Talking about the investigation or a pending criminal case might help lift a burden from your shoulders, but it’s not a wise move. The prosecution can subpoena those individuals and compel them to testify about any conversations that you’ve had with them, which could leave you looking guilty.
3. Consenting to a search: To give the impression that you’re innocent, you might be tempted to consent to a search of your home or your vehicle. But if this leads to the seizure of incriminating evidence, you might be behind the eight ball from the get-go. So, don’t consent to a search. Instead, force the prosecution to demonstrate that they have the requisite probable cause to secure a search warrant. They might not be able to do that, which would further protect your interests and your future.
4. Believing what the police have to say: Remember, the police want to get you talking so that they can use your words against you. Therefore, they might lie to you about evidence that implicates you in the crime or about what you’ve previously said. Don’t fall for their tactics, and instead, take what they say with a grain of salt.
5. Destroying or concealing evidence: You might think that you can protect yourself from suspicions by getting rid of evidence that could be viewed as incriminating, but doing so is against the law and will only make you look guilty. After all, the prosecution and the court are going to find out if you do this, so allow your attorney to deal with problematic evidence rather than handling it yourself.

Know how to aggressively protect yourself in your criminal case

If you want to protect yourself as fully as possible, you need to aggressively defend yourself as early as possible. Therefore, if you think that you’re being implicated in a crime, now is the time to act to build a criminal defense strategy that shields you from allegations of wrongdoing. You might think that’s tricky to do, especially if you’ve never been involved in a criminal case, but you can start by avoiding the mistakes mentioned above and reading up on how your type of case is typically prosecuted.