Courtroom Personnel
This person is the boss of the courtroom. They are neutral and make sure all sides are following the law.
Judge
A deal given to the defendant for a lesser sentence in exchange for pleading guilty/lesser charge.
Plea Bargain.
This is an answer to the charges.
What is a plea?
Any abnormal courtroom behavior such as yelling, cursing, or talking out of turn.
Contempt of court.
This is the person who sent you here.
Judge.
This person's job is to prove that you are guilty. This person is against you.
DA.
This is the person who offers the defendant the plea bargain.
Prosecutor.
A plea option that means you did the crime.
What is guilty?
A person must make this promise before testifying, stating that they will only tell the truth.
What is an oath.
This is anything that can be used in court to prove who did the crime. It can be DNA or fingerprints for example.
Evidence.
This is the person who is on your side with the goal to get you free or a reduced sentence.
Defense Attorney
These 4 people must all agree to the plea bargain in order for it to be approved.
DA, Judge, Defense, and You.
A plea option that means you did not do the crime.
What is not guilty?
This is the punishment for either pleading guilty or being found guilty. The judge decides it.
Sentence.
This is a less serious charge that can get you a sentence of 1 year or less in county jail.
Misdemeanor.
This is made up of 6-12 citizens that are selected from the local community. Their main job is to listen.
Jury.
You give up these 3 rights when taking a plea bargain because you have to plead guilty.
Trial/appeal/face accuser.
A plea option that means you will not say if you did it or not, but you won't fight the charges.
No contest.
Telling a lie after swearing an oath to tell the truth. Could result in up to 5 years in prison.
Perjury.
This is a more serious charge that can get you a sentence of 1 year to life in prison.
Felony.
This person tells what they know about the case. They can help or hurt your case.
Witness.
If you take a plea bargain, you cannot ask the court for this option, which would allow to possibly get a new trial later.
Appeal.
A plea option that means you did do the crime, but you were not in your right state of mind when it occurred.
NGRI.
This is the final decision found by the jury/judge. This is given at the end of a trial.
Verdict.
The Judge sent you to this hospital to complete this process, which shows that you understand the court process and the seriousness of your charge.
Competency evaluation.