Disposition
A formal hearing in which the respective sides of a dispute present evidence for a judge or jury to decide on a question of fact.
Trial
Professionals who assist attorneys with gathering facts, collecting evidence, and interviewing others.
Investigator
The right of a criminal defendant to have effective assistance for their defense.
Right to counsel
Government's pre-trial obligation to disclose its evidence against the defendant to the defendant and if applicable, defendant may disclose evidence to the government.
Discovery
Federal and/or state guidelines recommending prison sentences based on the severity of the crime, aggravating factors, and other factors.
Sentencing guidelines
The standard of proof for criminal trials, meaning the judge or jury must have no reasonable doubts about the defendant's guilt in order to find them guilty.
Beyond a reasonable doubt
Trained legal professional who provides substantive assistance to attorneys.
Paralegal
An illegal act or crime that carries a potential period of incarceration as a penalty.
Jailable offense
Questioning a detained person in connection to a crime by police while in police custody.
Custodial interrogation
Facility for short-term imprisonment, typically for defendants being held before trial or convicted of misdemeanors.
Jail
In a criminal case, a formal admission in court by the defendant of criminal guilt and waiver of the right to a trial.
Guilty plea
A public official, either elected or appointed, who presides over a court to hear disputes and reolves legal issues.
Judicial officer
Any step of a criminal case where a defendant is entitled to legal representation.
Critical stage of a case
Law enforcement initiates criminal proceeding by filing a formal charging document with a prosecutor, who may pursue further legal action against the accused.
Complaint
If the defendant violates terms of parole or probation, they may face criminal consequences including imprisonment.
Revocation
A formal judgment where a court finds a defendant guilty of a crime.
Conviction
A person licensed to provide legal representation for clients.
Attorney
Seminal case establishing an indigent defendant's right to appointed counsel for their first appeal/direct appeals.
Douglas v. California
Defendant is brought before judicial officer for an official reading of the criminal charges against them and to enter a plea.
Arraignment
Consequences of a criminal conviction or guilty plea besides imprisonment or fines, such as immigration consequences, loss of public assistance, etc.
Collateral consequences
A legal process in which a judge orders a person with severe mental illness or in a mental health crisis to receive treatment against their will.
Civil commitment
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being;" often used to fill-in when an individual is unavailable.
Pro tempore (Abbr. "pro tem")
Seminal case establishing right to counsel for attaches once the criminal defendant first appears before a judicial officer.
Rothgery v. Gillespie County
Jurors participate in a hearing to determine if the government has enough evidence to bring a criminal charge against a defendant.
Grand jury
A legal argument and procedural option "of last resort" that imprisoned defendants may use to challenge their imprisonment as unlawful and unconstitutional.
Habeas corpus