Common Ways Peer Pressure Can Influence Decision-Making

Whether you are young or old, peer pressure can influence the decisions that you make. Often, peer pressure can lead to bad decisions that have varying levels of consequences. After peer pressure has led a young person to make a bad decision, mothers often ask their kids the age-old question, “if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you as well?” While the answer may seem obvious, there are several reasons why peer pressure can influence people to make bad decisions, some common reasons include:

• Social acceptance
• Acceptance from members of the opposite sex
• Fear of rejection
• Hormonal reasons
• Avoidance of being bullied
• Bad parenting

These are just some of the reasons why people can be peer pressured into making bad decisions. Sometimes these decisions can lead to criminal charges. If peer pressure has led to a criminal charge, then you may potentially have a legal defense to the criminal accusation.

Legal Defenses Related to Peer Pressure

If actions taken by an individual have led to criminal charges, then there may be some legal defenses depending on the facts and circumstances. The main issue in these cases is determining whether the individual was acting of his or her own free will. Simple influence is not enough; the actions of those around the individual accused must rise to the point where the individual is not really making a choice for themselves. Some legal defenses to peer pressure can include:

• Force
• Coercion
• Entrapment
• Extortion

If an individual's involvement in an activity is forced or coerced by those around him or her, then the individual's free will has been compromised, and this can potentially be used as a defense. If the police were acting in an undercover capacity and led someone to commit a crime that he or she would not have committed but for the involvement and presence of the police, then the individual may have a legal defense for entrapment. Extortion involves threats being made to force someone to take a specific action against his or her will. These threats can include promises of harm, embarrassment, or exposure of private information. If you are facing a criminal charge for an action that you really did not want to take, then you may have a peer pressure defense to the crime. If you have legal questions, then call us today!

Why Hiring the Lento Law Firm is the Right Choice

If you are facing criminal charges, then it is important to speak to an experienced attorney immediately. Attorney Joseph D. Lento has helped people across New Jersey successfully defend their criminal cases. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 to learn why hiring Attorney Lento and his expert team is the right choice to help resolve your legal issue.