Explain The Steps Of The Criminal Process

For citizens of any country to live a peaceful and quiet life, they have to be protecting from criminals and all other perpetrators by the government through its security agencies and the judicial system. However, to ensure that all the arrests made by the police force are legal, the suspect should be taken to court where the court has the sole responsibility of proving his or her innocence or guiltiness. The criminal process often begins with a stop or an arrest after a suspect is apprehended. The criminal process could end at any point up to the time of sentencing, depending on the facts and circumstances concerning a particular case. This assignment will attempt to highlight and explain in details all the steps of the criminal process
Immediately after the arrest, the suspect is usually taken into custody by the law enforcement waiting to be aligned in court. However, the time taken before the suspect can be taken to court differs from one country to another and from state to another. It is worth noting that arrest can take two forms that include:
If the law enforcement personnel arrives at the crime scene and determines that, there is probable cause for an arrest. As a result, the officer has no option but rather to take the suspect into custody given the fact that he or she has power and authority to arrest the suspect.
An officer of the law can also make an arrest according to an arrest warrant. However, the necessities for making a proper arrest and obtaining an arrest warrant from the court vary from one state to state and usually depend on whether the crime in question is a felony or a misdemeanor.
Initial
However, not all the jurisdictions have grand juries and only those jurisdictions that allow grand juries can perform them. The prosecutor asks the grand jury to indict the accused. Often, the grand jury is made of private citizens who have the power and authority to conduct proceedings generally with the grand jury members sworn to secrecy. Moreover, the grand jury has the power and authority to compel testimonies to present them in court.
Arraignment by the judge
Instead of going to trial, the defendant is given the opportunity to plead guilty according to a plea agreement. On the second appearance in court, which often takes place before the trial the defendant appears in court and enters a plea. This is a situation where the defendant is only aligned in the court to plead guilty or not guilty, and he or she is not allowed to defend his or herself.
Trial
A trial is the real and live proceeding in court during which evidence is presented, and guilt is determined. A trial is always held before a jury or if the defendant waives the right to trial by jury or for certain misdemeanors before a judge who is often referred to as a bench trial. The trial process includes stages such