explain the arraingment process in a criminal proceeding?

Answer 1

Judge - You are accused of "______________" how do you plead?

Defendant - "Guilty" or "Not Guilty".

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

It is the stage where the defendant is formally notified of the charges against them and enters their plea, usually guilty or not guilty.

It is also usually the first "critical stage" in adversarial proceedings, when a suspect becomes "the accused", and as such the first point that the court is constitutionally required to provide an attorney.

Many courts also combine the arraingment with a bail hearing, for efficiency.

Answer 4

arraignment is your first appearance on the charge. depending on the level of the charge you will be asked if you want to speak to the prosecutor to resolve your case, or if you want to speak to the judge. if you qualify financially, you may be assigned a public defender, but not for a petty misdemeanor which would carry not possibility of jail time, public defenders are only for misdemeanors or more serious offenses. if you want time to hire a private attorney, the court will grant you one continuance of a couple weeks to hire that lawyer. if you wish to see a formal written complaint, the court will allow a 30 day continuance to have the city attorney draft that formal complaint and you then return to court for that first appearance at a later date.

All of this is MInnesota's procedures, your states/city's laws and procedures will vary, but the basic purpose of arraignment is to face the judge and answer 'guilty, not guilty, need time for hiring a lawyer, want to see written complaint...........

If the prosecutor makes you an offer that day and you accept, your case can often be resolved that first appearance, but if you do not accept the prosecutors offer or you wish to say "not guilty", then you will have to return at a later date for either a trial or a pretrial conference, so expect there will be more court dates if your case is a not guilty plea, or if you have othe reasons to not settle the matter at the arraignment.

Answer 5

Arraignment is a common law term for the formal reading of a criminal complaint, in the presence of the defendant, to inform him of the charges against him. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they generally include "guilty", "not guilty", and the peremptory pleas (or pleas in bar), which set out reasons why a trial cannot proceed. In addition, US jurisdictions allow pleas of "nolo contendere" (no contest) and the "Alford plea" in some circumstances.