{"id":592,"date":"2015-08-08T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/razumichlaw.com\/?p=592"},"modified":"2023-08-11T04:21:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T04:21:14","slug":"what-are-possession-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2015\/08\/08\/what-are-possession-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are &#8220;Possession&#8221; Crimes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In many cases, merely having an item on your person (possessing it) is considered a crime. A lot of times, possession crimes involve the possession of illegal substances, such as drugs, but there are many other offenses that involve possession. For example, it&#8217;s illegal to possess a fake ID, to possess alcohol as a minor, and to possess a firearm without a license.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>When prosecutors charge a person with a possession crime, they can base the charges on either actual or constructive possession. Understanding the difference between these two types of possession is one of the first steps in taking charge of your criminal defense.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Actual_vs_Constructive_Possession\"><\/span>Actual vs. Constructive Possession<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2015\/08\/08\/what-are-possession-crimes\/#Actual_vs_Constructive_Possession\" title=\"Actual vs. Constructive Possession\">Actual vs. Constructive Possession<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2015\/08\/08\/what-are-possession-crimes\/#Prosecutors_Must_Prove_Possession\" title=\"Prosecutors Must Prove Possession\">Prosecutors Must Prove Possession<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2015\/08\/08\/what-are-possession-crimes\/#Experienced_Indianapolis_Criminal_Defense\" title=\"Experienced Indianapolis Criminal Defense\">Experienced Indianapolis Criminal Defense<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Actual possession is exactly what it sounds like. When the police claim a person had actual possession of something, this means the person purportedly had control of it or had it on his body. Common examples of actual possession include drugs in a person&#8217;s pocket, a knife in a sheath strapped to a person&#8217;s leg, and a weapon held in a person&#8217;s hand. In all of these examples, the individual had care and control of the item.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, constructive possession is a bit more subtle but just as commonly charged as actual possession. In a constructive possession case, prosecutors allege that the person had an intent to control the item even though it wasn&#8217;t on his physical person. For example, if the police find drugs inside a vehicle, they are likely to arrest everyone in the vehicle for constructive possession of a controlled substance.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prosecutors_Must_Prove_Possession\"><\/span>Prosecutors Must Prove Possession<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you have been arrested for actual or constructive possession, it&#8217;s important to understand that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you had control \u2013 or an intent to control \u2013 the item in question. This is the highest burden of proof in our criminal justice system.<\/p>\n<p>An experienced criminal defense lawyer knows there are multiple ways to attack possession charges. In many cases, prosecutors rely on witness testimony to support their case. This testimony can be challenged by examining the witness&#8217;s credibility, through cross-examination, and by introducing witnesses with conflicting testimony. Prosecutors may also introduce physical evidence, which is also vulnerable to defense attack. If you have been charged with a possession crime, it is absolutely critical to work with a criminal defense attorney with years of trial experience. Your freedom depends on it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Experienced_Indianapolis_Criminal_Defense\"><\/span>Experienced Indianapolis Criminal Defense<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Whatever type of criminal charge you&#8217;re facing, you don&#8217;t have to do it alone. There is no time to lose in your case. Call me at <a href=\"tel:317-983-5333\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">317-983-5333<\/a> for a free consultation.<\/p>\n<p><em>The laws governing legal advertising in the state of Indiana require the following statement in any publication of this kind: \u201cTHIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT.\u201d This website is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer\/client relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In many cases, merely having an item on your person (possessing it) is considered a crime. A lot of times, possession crimes involve the possession of illegal substances, such as drugs, but there are many other offenses that involve possession. For example, it&#8217;s illegal to possess a fake ID, to possess alcohol as a minor, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2964,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592\/revisions\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}