Appreciation Of Charges
What is a misdemeanor?
A minor offense; It is punishable under the laws of this state by imprisonment in the county jail.
What does the judge do?
Acts as a referee; Is responsible for keeping order in the courtroom and for ensuring the rules are fairly interpreted.
What is a plea bargain?
An agreement worked out between the State Attorney and your attorney.
What is a felony?
A more serious offense; It is punishable by prison in the Department of Corrections for a period exceeding one year.
How many people make up the jury and what is their job?
6-12 people makes up the jury and their job is to decide whether you are guilty or not guilty.
Random riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge!
What are the four different pleas?
Guilty, not guilty, no contest, and not guilty by reason of insanity.
What does the public defender do?
The public defender is your lawyer; he or she is for you and and their job is to show the judge and jury that you are not guilty of the charges against you.
You are required report to your probation officer once a month; You have to pay a designated monthly fee, and you have to submit to a drug test.
What do no contest mean?
You are not saying you committed the crime and you are not saying you did not commit the crime.
What does the state attorney do?
The state attorney is against you and tries to prove to the judge that you did do the crime.
Random Riddle: A man who was outside in the rain without an umbrella or hat didn’t get a single hair on his head wet. Why?
He was bald.
What does not guilty by reason of insanity mean?
That you were not in your right state of mind when the crime was committed.
What is a witness?
Any person who has specific information about the crime.
What is contempt of court and what is the maximum penalty for being charged with contempt of court?
Contempt of court is a charge you receive if you are loud and argumentative in court and the maximum penalty is six months in jail!