After being arrested for a crime, your reputation is going to be threatened. It doesn’t even matter whether or not you committed the crime; what matters is how it’s presented to the public.
Are there any steps you can take to protect your reputation after you’ve been arrested? And how can you successfully recover your reputation in the long term?
The Legal Battle
Everything starts with the legal battle. The more successfully you can fight against the charges against you, the better position your reputation will be in when the matter is settled.
According to the attorneys at SBBL Law, “Your first priority should be protecting yourself, legally. Ideally, you’ll get the charges dropped or get yourself exonerated. Failing that, you’ll want to minimize any penalties you might face. That way, you can get back to your normal life faster and start repairing your reputation.”
So how do you do it?
- Hire a good lawyer. The first step of the process is to hire a good lawyer. A good criminal defense lawyer is going to represent you throughout the process, providing you with advice, helping you understand the process, and defending you against any possible violations of your rights. Once you find a lawyer with experience whom you trust, you should rely on them to guide you through the rest of this journey. It’s a good idea to follow their advice, and you should ask them questions actively to make sure you understand exactly what’s going on.
- Take good notes. If you’ve been arrested or interrogated without a lawyer, it’s important to take good notes. You should keep track of everything that happened to you and all the conversations you’ve had with police officers. If you’ve been mistreated in any way, you should note it. If you slipped up and said anything to police officers, you should note that too. The more information you have to work with, the better.
- Say nothing unless advised. Generally speaking, you should never talk to the police. It’s one reason “you have the right to remain silent” is the first right read to you in your Miranda warning. The police aren’t your friends, even if they pretend to be, and they have no legal authority to reduce your sentence. If you talk to them, even if you’re completely honest and innocent, you could end up accidentally revealing information that incriminates you in another matter – or you could provide inconsistent details and make yourself look guilty. The best choice for both guilty and innocent people is to remain silent.
- Expunge what you can. After the matter is said and done and you’ve paid your fine or served your time, an attorney can talk to you about potentially getting your record expunged. However, it’s important to note that not all offenses are expungable.
- Get your lawyer’s advice on reputation management. Consider talking to your lawyer about your reputational concerns. Most lawyers have at least some experience helping their clients with reputation management during and after the arrest experience. They may be able to give you better, more personalized advice than what you’ll find in this guide.
The Reputation Battle
After your arrest, you can begin working to restore your reputation.
- Change your privacy settings on social media (or leave altogether). Social media is a hotspot of gossip and misinformation, and it could actively work against you during and after your arrest. Consider changing your privacy settings so you’re harder to find and harder to harass. In fact, it might be best if you leave social media altogether, at least temporarily.
- Request the removal of anything you can. The United States doesn’t provide a blanket “right to be forgotten” the same way the European Union does, but you can always request removal of published information about you. If you find published stories about the crimes you were accused of or if you find yourself in online databases, you can reach out to the webmasters and request your removal. If your record has been expunged, you’ll have a much more persuasive case to make.
- Request corrections if and when you find them. Be on the lookout for misinformation as well. If someone misstates what you’ve been arrested for or what you were sentenced for, point out the mistake and request a correction.
- Do positive things. Next, work on fighting the negative news with more positive news. If you can get your name mentioned in a positive context online, with suitable frequency, you can drown out reporting of your past. Consider getting involved in community events, doing volunteer work, earning awards and recognition, and generally developing a more positive online reputation for yourself.
- Consult with reputation management experts. If you’re still struggling after trying these strategies, consider consulting with professional reputation management experts. They can give you much more specific advice on tactics you can try, and they can lend more power to your removal requests and reputation-boosting efforts.
Salvaging your reputation after being arrested can be an uphill battle. But with the help of a good lawyer, a proactive effort to restore your reputation, and consistency in your diligent practices, you can achieve a much better legal outcome and eventually elevate your reputation even higher than it was.
Interesting Related Article: “How Could Your Business be Affected if You’re Arrested for a Crime?“