“Accessory aftermath” is a legal charge for those who knowingly help a criminal, and can result in similar charges as the crime committed. The charge exists to discourage aiding criminals, but prosecutors must prove knowledge of the crime. Family members may also be accused, but it depends on their knowledge of the crime. The cost of being charged as an accessory is often too high, resulting in half the sentence of the criminal.
“Accessory aftermath” is a legal term that can be used to charge people who knowingly help a person who has committed a crime. Being accused of this crime can mean facing similar charges as someone’s crime. For example, aiding a murderer after he or she has committed a crime could make someone an accessory to the murder, even if that person had nothing to do with the crime.
One reason this charge exists, and it may be called differently or perceived differently in a variety of jurisdictions, is to discourage people from rendering aid to those who commit crimes. There are several ways to be accused of accessories after the fact. A person might give money to a criminal so that he can escape the law, withhold information about a crime so that the criminal is not accused, hide the real criminal, or somehow house and protect him or her so that the person who commits the crime avoid arrest and charge.
A major thing is required for a prosecutor to win an accessory after the fact, and sometimes it’s not obtainable. It must be proven that the accused person knew that a crime had occurred. That’s not always the case. If Mr. Smith picks up a hitchhiker and drops him by the roadside without realizing that the hitchhiker just robbed an ATM, it would be hard to argue that Mr. Smith is an accomplice. He was unaware of the crime.
More gray area occurs when family members are accused of complicity after the fact. It is possible that in taking in or giving help to someone who is a criminal, a person is doing absolutely no harm in the eyes of the law. It all depends on whether the person being helped or protected confesses to the crime or whether the family member has any knowledge of it other than a confession. This is a difficult thing for many people because there are often strong protective feelings towards family, especially adult children, and many people want to help their family members avoid the process.
Ultimately, the cost is often too high for a family member to become an accessory after the fact. It could mean being charged and sentenced to about half the time in prison that the person who committed the crime will serve.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
