I have a female aquaintance who was cited for Disorderly Conduct…

If she was defending herself, she has a right to fight it on the basis of self defense. The problem is that the minor misdemeanor still goes on her permanent criminal record that she has to disclose to future employers, landlords and anyone who asks. She should not plead guilty without some form of deal from the prosecutor, such as possibly a deferred sentence and after paying a fine and some probation (usually 6 months) of not getting into any other trouble the charge is dismissed and can then be expunged from her record. If the prosecutor will not discuss a plea deal to her that will allow her to expunge the charge from her record, then she should maintain the plea of not guilty and consider an attorney. Many times though, prosecutors are just looking to clear these cases and may offer a straight out dismissal and expungement if they just pay the fine, but it has to be negotiated.

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