Understanding the Criminal Justice System
You’ve made a foolish mistake, maybe even a series of mistakes, and now you’ve been arrested. You want to get off the path you’ve set yourself on and turn your life around, but you’re not sure how.
Try zero-based thinking.
Zero-based thinking is a decision-making process where you imagine yourself back at the moment before you made certain choices and thinking about the opportunity to make those choices again armed with the knowledge you have now. In other words, think about that decisive moment and ask yourself: If I had not made this decision, knowing what I now know, would I still make it?
The point of zero-based thinking isn’t to criticize yourself for making poor choices but to accept what happened, avoid repeating past mistakes, and make better decisions going forward. More than that, it allows you to wipe the slate clean and brainstorm different possibilities–even a different future–for yourself.
Let’s say you have been arrested for drunk driving. You might return to the moment where you decided to get in your car and drive home after drinking five beers. You might think: if I had the opportunity to do over, I’d never have gotten behind the wheel.
But choosing to drive drunk is not necessarily the pivotal moment that needs close examination. It’s a no-brainer to say–if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have driven drunk and gotten arrested. Nobody wants that. Instead, you need to review the many choices you made that day and identify the point that really put you on your current path.
For example, perhaps the critical moment was when you ignored the little voice in your head, telling you not to have a third beer, let alone a fourth or a fifth. Perhaps it was the moment when your buddy, who always seems to spell trouble, called and suggested that you come over and grab some beers. Maybe it was the moment you decided to blow off some steam by having beers instead of going for a run or working out. Only you know the true “moment zero” that led to where you are now.
When you identify that “moment zero” in the past, you’ll be able to better recognize it in the future. Hopefully, the next time around, you’ll make a wiser choice that leads to a happier, more fruitful path.
If you or a loved one have been arrested, call the qualified criminal defense lawyers of Razumich & Associates to learn how to best defend yourself and protect your rights. We are ready to fight for you. Contact us today.
