What happens when someone is charged with a felony?
[This is just a brief overview of the system.] The California Penal Code defines a felony as “any crime that is punishable by death or by imprisonment in state prison.” In most cases, a felony prosecution starts with an arrest. Written police reports are presented to the District Attorney’s Office, which then decides what charge, if any, should be filed and whether the charge will be a felony, or a misdemeanor (which is a less serious crime punishable by no more than one year in county jail, among other penalties). Once the person is arrested for a felony, he or she is booked at an appropriate custody facility (e.g., juveniles are booked at Juvenile Hall; adults are booked at the county jail). At the time of booking for an adult, bail is set based on a predetermined schedule adopted by the Superior Court Judges of Shasta County. Juveniles cannot, as a matter of law, have bail set. They are either authorized to be released to a parent or guardian, or they are detained until their first
A felony is a serious criminal charge, which is defined in terms of possible punishment. It is defined in the California Penal Code as “any crime that is punishable by death or by imprisonment in state prison.” In most cases, a felony prosecution starts with an arrest. Written police reports are presented to the District Attorney’s Office, which then decides what charges, if any, should be filed and whether those charges will be felonies or misdemeanors (which are less serious crimes punishable by no more than a year in county jail and/or a possible fine). Felony charges may also be filed even though there has not been an arrest. For example, the police may conduct an investigation of a crime and identify a suspect. Rather than arresting that person, the police may instead present their investigation to the District Attorney, who may file charges with a court and get an arrest warrant. The District Attorney may also present evidence to the Grand Jury, which has the power to charge a pe
