HOW DOES THE CRIMINAL COURT PROCESS WORK?
The criminal case process can be extremely intimidating. The nature of the process depends on the type of charge (misdemeanor or felony) and the court that charges are brought in (superior, justice, or municipal). Once you have been arrested or charged, you will have to be seen by a judge for what is called an arraignment. At that time, you will tell the judge whether you plead guilty or not guilty. Always plead not guilty. When you do, the judge will set a date and time for a pre-trial conference. In some felony cases a preliminary hearing will be set so the judge can determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the charges. The purpose of the pre-trial conference is to give the prosecutor and defendant an opportunity to negotiate and possibly come to a plea, or deal, regarding the charges. Your attorney should always require the prosecutor to provide any relevant evidence in the case before any decisions are made. There may be several pre-trial conferences in any given case d
