There are plenty of reasons for wanting to know what occurs during a trial. Maybe you have been accused of a crime and you have an idea what lies ahead of you. You might be the victim in a crime and you want to know what it will take to get justice. In other cases, you might be a witness or juror and you want to know what you will be involved in during the trial. Still other people have to real life reason for wanting to understand the process, they simply want to learn more about their favorite television show or crime writing author. There are several steps involved in the process, from the time the crime is committed to the final outcome. Breaking it down into sections is an easy way to understand the process. Your criminal defense attorney or criminal defense lawyer can help you better understand the process or you can do your own research, so you know what to expect.

The first part of the proceedings is the arrest. A person commits a crime and the police determine they have enough to arrest the suspect. They will probably seek out a warrant to arrest the person, unless they catch someone in the act of committing the crime. There might also be a search conducted at this time in an effort to gather additional evidence for the crime committed. Following the arrest, the person is booked. Booking includes processing the person into the jail system with fingerprints and other paperwork. Personal items will be taken from them and they will be issued prison clothing.

The arraignment happens next. This might be where the judge sets an amount for bail, if that has not already happened. It is also when the court determines whether there will be enough evidence to move things forward and go to trial. Sometimes a judge determines the police have little evidence a crime has been committed and the process ends at this time. Shortly after the arraignment, a plea bargain may occur. If someone guilty of a crime has information about a larger crime, the courts might be willing to bargain with them. For instance, if a person is guilty of soliciting a minor, but has contact information for thousands of pedophiles, they might be offered a deal in exchange for the information they have.

If no plea bargain is reached, a preliminary hearing is held. Again, this gives the judge a chance to look over the materials and make any further determination before things move forward with a jury. There are also pre-trial motions made around this time. This is when counsel from either side request information to be put into or taken out of the trial.

Finally, the trial begins. There is a jury selection process in which everyone participating in the trial, including the defendant, is in court with a pool of possible jurors. Opening statements are made, cases are presented and everything is drawn to a close with closing statements. The jury leaves the courtroom to deliberate. Once a verdict is determined, a judge issues a sentence. Sentencing determines the type and length of the punishment. If either side is unhappy with the result, they begin the appeals process to have the case heard in a higher court.

Author Bio: Penny Lane recently worked with a Cincinnati Criminal Defense attorney while conducting research for a new article.She hired a Cincinnati Criminal Defense lawyer to represent her brother.

Category: Legal
Keywords: Cincinnati Criminal Defense attorney,Cincinnati criminal defense lawyer