What Happens in Criminal Court?

If you suspect that you might be criminally charged with abuse or molestation, an attorney can begin an investigation of your case and help you make the financial arrangements necessary for a bail bond or recognizance release even before the charges are filed. Arranging your bail prior to any formal charges will keep you from spending any unnecessary time in jail.

Arrest

If you have not made prior arrangements through your attorney, you could be arrested at work or at home rather than voluntarily surrendering yourself. In either case, you will be finger printed and photographed prior to being released.

Next, you will be arraigned in municipal court, where you will be informed of the charges against you and your rights. At the second hearing, called the preliminary hearing, the court decides whether or not there is sufficient evidence to bind your case over to superior court for trial.

Trial

If you are bound over for trial, you will go to superior court for arraignment, the presentation of motions, and for a trial date.

Depending on your case, your trial may be scheduled from 60 days to months from the date of your arraignment and can last from a few days to several weeks. All 12 jurors must vote guilty in order to convict you.

Criminal charges of sexual abuse will take a tremendous emotional, financial, and psychological toll on you and your family. Criminal charges put you in the greatest risk of losing your freedom, your family, and your life as you once knew it.