Consequences of a Conviction

I am often asked "What are the effects of a domestic violence or family violence conviction for assault?" They are much more serious than a conviction for a regular assault for instance between two guys in a fight at a bar. The two main areas that effect most people are first, if you are convicted of a domestic violence or family violence, you are going to have an affirmative finding of domestic violence. What that means is –if you are ever charged, falsely or not, again of domestic violence assault that second or subsequent charge will be a felony of the third degree and you will be looking at two to ten years in the penitentiary. Second, if you are convicted of domestic assault you will never be able to own a gun again, legally. That includes hunters who might have a long gun like a rifle or someone who keeps a hand gun in their home for home defense. You won't even be able to possess a bullet let alone a gun. Remember, what you need in order to fight and keep that conviction from being on your record is a strong, well thought out defense. That is what you are going to get at Stradley, Chernoff and Alford.