As criminal defence lawyers, we all want our clients to avoid
the prospect of imprisonment. Whether we run a not guilty plea or
prepare a case in mitigation, the object is to avoid the often dire
consequences of a prison sentence for our clients.
Those who practice in criminal law have had that
"talk", either prior to sentence or after sentence,
usually in the confines of a prison cell, when imposition of a jail
sentence is imminent or has just been imposed. Sometimes it's
inevitable, either due to the finding of guilty, the seriousness of
the offence, matters personal to the accused, or a combination of
all of these. During this talk, phrases of hope are given to the
client , along the lines of: "You're still young";
"You've got time to re-build"; "You'll get
through this"; "You've got the support of your
family", or any other encouragement that seems appropriate at
the time, to buoy not only the spirits of our client, but our
own.
