criminal justice system handbook

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Criminal Justice System Handbook

Content also availablein:Espaol | Franais |

Foreword | Acknowledgments | Dedication | Introduction | How Your

Case Begins | Central Booking | Criminal Court Arraignment | Plea

Bargaining | What Happens After Your Criminal Court Arraignment? |

The Grand Jury | Pre-trial Motions |The Trial | Post-Trial Motions |

Sentencing | Appeals | Courtroom Personnel | General Rules

Governing Courtroom Behavior | GLOSSARY

FOREWORD

In 1993, the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein, of the United States

District Court for the Eastern District of New York, presided over a

complex criminal case involving eighteen defendants, all of whom

required interpreters. Having ordered the governments to provide

defendants with Spanish translations of numerous documents so

each would be better able to understand and participate in the

proceedings, Judge Weinstein observed:

It would be useful to provide for those not familiar with the

American legal system a short primer in the federal criminal legal

system. Such a pamphlet could indicate briefly such matters as how

our criminal justice system operates and what it means to waive an

indictment or plead guilty; what are the elements of a trial; and

what are the roles of grand and petty juries, attorneys, judges andmagistrate judges. It would not be a comprehensive statement of

rights. The various Metropolitan Area bar associations could

cooperate in providing such a pamphlet to be translated into some

of the languages routinely used in this court.

United States v. Mosquera, et al., 816 F. Supp. 168, 177 (E.D.N.Y.

1993).
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Shortly thereafter, a Joint Committee of the Association of the Bar of

the City of New York and the New York County Lawyers' Association

was formed to respond to this call. This volume is the fruits of their

labors. I suspect Judge Weinstein will forgive their focus on the Statesystem, in which the vast majority of criminal cases are adjudicated.

The criminal justice system is complex and, for those who stand

accused, often frightening. The fear and confusion are compounded

for defendants with limited command of English, of whom there are

large numbers in New York State. Fairness demands that everyone

who enters the system understand the nature of the proceedings,

and this pamphlet will contribute substantially to achieving this

goal. A succinct explanation of the entire criminal process, from

arrest to appeal, it does a superb job of making a complicated

system clear. In producing it, the Joint Committee has performed a

service of enormous value to the courts, the bar and the public.

Thanks are due to Judge Weinstein for inspiring this important effort;

to all the members of the Joint Committee, whose hard work and

dedication brought the project to fruition; to Barbara Jaffe, Esq., the

Joint Committee Chair, who led the venture with expertise anddistinction; and to Alan Rothstein, Counsel to the Executive

Secretary of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, who

helped coordinate the enterprise.

Hon. Judith S. Kaye

Chief Judge, New York Court of Appeals (Retired)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Joint Committee which prepared this Handbook is made up of

members of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York

(Special Committee on Public Service and Education and the

Committee on Criminal Courts) and New York County Lawyers'

Association (Criminal Justice Section): Barbara Jaffe, Esq., Chair of

the Joint Committee; Hon. Douglas S. Wong, Judge, New York City


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Criminal Court; Hon. Patricia Nunez, Judge, New York City Criminal

Court; Neil Checkman, Esq.; Michael Gerber, Esq.; Edward Hamlin,

Esq.; and William Knisley, Esq.

We wish to acknowledge the invaluable assistance rendered by Hon.

Ann Pfau, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Management and

Support; Hon. Juanita Bing Newton, Deputy Chief Administrative

Judge for Justice Initiatives; Ronald Y. Younkins, Esq., Executive

Assistant to Judge Pfau; Deborah Kaplan, Principal Court Attorney to

Justice Newton; Patricia Henry, Counsel to Hon. Judy Harris Kluger,

Administrative Judge, New York City Criminal Court; Hon. Barry A.

Cozier; Alan Rothstein, General Counsel, the Association of the Bar

of the City of New York; Maria L. Imperial, Executive Director, City

Bar Fund; Elena Ajayi, Grants Manager, City Bar Fund; and John

Macaulay, Esq., Managing Attorney, and Akira Arroyo, Program

Coordinator, the Robert B. McKay Community Outreach Law

Program, Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Also

providing assistance and advice were Klaus Eppler, Esq., past

President, New York County Lawyers' Association; Irwin Davison,

Esq., former Executive Director, New York County Lawyers'

Association; Hon. Ruth Pickholz and Norman L. Reimer, Esq., formerCo-Chairs, Criminal Justice Section, New York County Lawyers'

Association; Patrick Dugan, Esq., Chief, Rackets Bureau, New York

County District Attorney's Office; Hon. Barbara S. Jones; Hon.

Charles Tejada; Hon. James Yates; Robert M. Baum, Esq., former

Attorney-in-Charge, The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense

Division; Katherine N. Lapp, Esq., Director of Criminal Justice

Services of the State of New York; Joyce B. David, Esq.; Joyce B.

David, Esq.; Daniel Alessandrino, Deputy Chief Clerk V; NormaMeacham, former Director of Human Resources, Office of Court

Administration, State of New York; Barry Sullivan, Principal Court

Analyst; Margarita Martinez, Senior Court Interpreter; and William

Clark, Chief Court Attorney, New York City Criminal Court.

We would also like to recognize Carolyne Byrne and Helena

Coronado-Salazar, volunteers for the Robert B. McKay Community

Outreach Law Program, who were responsible for translating the

guide from English to Spanish.


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The Chinese language version of the Handbook was made possible

through a generous grant from the Office of the Manhattan Borough

President, C. Virginia Fields. It was translated by John Lau and

validated by Guanrong Shen.

The French version was made possible through the generous

donation of time by translators Trudie Marmorek and Raynold

Abellard and validators Barbara Grcevic and Gerald Lebovits.

The Korean version was generously donated by the Korean American

Lawyers Association of Greater New York, through its President,

Helen Kim, and member Chanwoo Lee.

The Russian version was made possible through the generous

donation of time by translator Albert Federov and validators Tatiana

Perez and Erena Baybik.

DEDICATION

The Joint Committee dedicates this handbook to Hon. Jack B.

Weinstein, United States District Judge, E.D.N.Y., who inspired this

project.

This Handbook is not

a substitute for a lawyer.

Introduction

This Handbook is designed to help you understand how the criminal

justice system works in New York State, from arrest through appeal.

All underlined terms in the following sections are linked to, and

defined in, the Glossary.


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HOW YOUR CASE BEGINS

You were arrested because a police officer had reason to believe

that you had committed a felony, misdemeanor, or violation, If you

are charged with a felony, the officer must file a felony complaint in

the Criminal Court. If you are charged with a misdemeanor, the

officer must file a misdemeanor complaint in the Criminal Court. If

you are charged with a violation, you may not have been arrested,

but a police officer may have brought you to a police station to give

you a desk appearance ticket (D.A.T.). A D.A.T. requires you toappear in court at the date, time, and courthouse written on it.

CENTRAL BOOKING

If you were not given a D.A.T, you are held in jail and brought before

a judge in Criminal Court, usually within twenty-four hours of yourarrest. Before seeing a judge, you are brought to Central Booking

where your fingerprints and photograph are taken. During this

period, a fingerprint report (rap sheet) is prepared which shows your

criminal history, if you have one.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor consults with the police officer who

arrested you. If the prosecutor decides that there is enough

evidence, he or she will prepare the charge(s) against you. If the

prosecutor decides that there is not enough evidence to prove that

you committed the crime, you will be released from jail. You will also

be interviewed by a representative of the Criminal Justice Agency

(C.J.A.). The purpose of this interview is to assist the judge in

deciding whether to: 1) set bail, 2) release you from jail without bail

(released on your own recognizance, or R.O.R.'d), or 3) hold you in

jail without bail (remanded). Statements made by you may be used

against you in later court proceedings. Ifbail is set, it may be paid
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(posted) at any courthouse during business hours and at the jail

where you are being held at any time.

CRIMINAL COURT ARRAIGNMENT

Once these procedures are completed, you are brought to court for

arraignment, where you will learn what charges have been brought

against you. At the arraignment, your lawyer and the prosecutor

may discuss the possibility of settling your case without the need of

having a trial. They may negotiate a plea bargain which you mayeither accept and plead guilty, or reject and plead not guilty.

You have the right to a lawyer at the arraignment. You may hire your

own lawyer or, if you do not have enough money to hire your own

lawyer, the court will appoint a lawyer fromThe Legal Aid Society,

the Assigned Counsel Plan for the City of New York (18-B lawyer),

Bronx Defenders,Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County

Defender Services, Queens Law Associates, P.C., or the Office of Paul

Battiste, Esq. (Staten Island). In the most serious homicide cases, a

lawyer from the Capital Defender's Office, or a lawyer specially

trained to handle such cases, will be appointed. All such lawyers are

paid by the State. If you intend to hire your own lawyer, but cannot

do so in time for your arraignment, the judge will appoint one to

represent you, at the State's expense, for the arraignment only.

After that time, the lawyer you hire will represent you. You may also

represent yourself and act as your own lawyer; however, it is better

to have a lawyer represent you. If you are not content with thelawyer who is representing you, you may ask the judge to appoint a

new lawyer for you or allow you to hire a new lawyer at your own

expense. If you do not have a good reason for wanting a new

lawyer, the judge will not appoint a new lawyer and may not allow

you to hire a new lawyer.

If you are in jail, the prosecutor will have a chance at the

arraignment to ask the judge to keep you in jail (remand) or order

bail. Your lawyer will be given a chance to reply to the prosecutor's
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arguments. The judge will then decide your bail conditions. Your bail

conditions may change as your case continues.

If you are released, you must appear in court every time your case

is calendared. At each court appearance, you will be informed of

your next court date. Your lawyer should inform you if the date is

changed. However, it is your responsibility to know when and where

to appear. You should arrive in court at 9:30 a.m. or at what ever

time the judge sets and wait there for your lawyer to appear. If you

do not appear and do not notify the court or your lawyer, the judge

will order a bench warrant for your arrest. This means that the police

will be notified to find you, arrest you, and bring you to court. If you

have posted bail, it may be forfeited (not returned to you). If the

police arrest you and bring you to court, the judge may change your

bail conditions by requiring that you pay more bail or by remanding

you. Once a bench warrant is ordered, it remains on your fingerprint

report (rap sheet).

In some instances, the judge may order you to stay away from a

witness or victim. This order is called a temporary order of

protection. If you do not obey the order, you could be arrested andnew charges may be brought against you for disobeying the order.

The judge may also order stricter bail conditions for disobeying the

temporary order of protection,

PLEA BARGAINING

Once you, your lawyer, and the prosecutor become more familiar

with your case, an attempt to settle (resolve or dispose of) your

case without a trial may be made through plea bargaining with the

prosecutor. A plea bargain can take a variety of forms. In one

instance, the prosecutor may ask that you plead guilty in exchange

for his or her promise to recommend to the judge that a particular

sentence be imposed. In certain cases, the prosecutor may offer to

allow you to plead guilty to a less serious offense than the one with

which you are charged. Such a plea reduces the range ofsentences
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the judge may impose. The judge is the only one who can decide

what your sentence will be (subject to limits set by law) and all

bargains must be approved by the judge. Plea bargaining may

continue up to or even during trial. If you do not want a trial, youmay always plead guilty to all the charges brought against you

whether or not the prosecutor agrees. The judge will then decide

your sentence.

There are sentence ranges for all offenses. Offenses are arranged in

different categories: felony, misdemeanor, and violation. Each

category is further divided into classes. A felony is a crime for which

you can receive a sentence of imprisonment of more than one year,

or a sentence of death for the crime of murder in the first degree.

The classes offelony offenses are: AI, AII, B, C, D, and E felonies, A

misdemeanor is a crime for which you can receive a jail sentence of

one year or less. The classes ofmisdemeanor offenses are A and B

misdemeanors. Jail sentences for violations may not be greater than

fifteen days.

A non-jail sentence may also be imposed, such as a term of

probation (for misdemeanors and certain felonies), or a conditionaldischarge, unconditional discharge, restitution, or a fine, for

example. Sometimes, a non-jail sentence may be imposed along

with a jail sentence. In such a case, the probationary sentence is

served after the jail sentence.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR CRIMINAL COURTARRAIGNMENT?

If you are charged with a felony and have already been arraigned in

Criminal Court, your case will be sent to a court part where felony

cases await the action of the grand jury. In rare instances, a hearing

upon the felony complaint (preliminary hearing) may be held to

determine whether the prosecutor has enough evidence to hold you

in jail while waiting for the grand jury to hear your case.
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If you are charged with a felony and are in jail because you were

remanded or are unable to post bail, the prosecutor must present

evidence in your case to the grand jury no later than 144 hours (six

days) after your arrest. If the prosecutor does not present theevidence to the grand jury within this time, you will be released

from jail on your own recognizance (R.O.R.'d) unless the prosecutor

can show a judge why the case could not be presented sooner to

the grand jury. If you are released from jail, this does not mean that

your case has been dismissed. You must still return to court on any

date set by the judge.

If the grand jury finds that there is enough evidence that you

committed a crime, it may file an indictment. If the grand jury finds

that there is not enough evidence that you committed a crime, you

will be released from jail. If you give up your right to have your case

presented to the grand jury, the prosecutor will file a Superior Court

Information (S.C.I.).

If you are charged with a misdemeanor and cannot post bail, you

will remain in jail for approximately five days. If the prosecutor fails

to provide the court with certain legal documents in support of themisdemeanor complaint which was filed by the police officer who

arrested you, a judge will release you on your own recognizance

(R.O.R.'d). Again, this does not mean that your case is dismissed.

You must still return to court on the date set by the judge.

THE GRAND JURY

Grand jury proceedings are secret and are not open to the public.

The grand jury is made up of sixteen to twenty-three people who

listen to the evidence and decide whether there is enough evidence

to put you on trial for a felony. If the grand jurors decide that there

is enough evidence, they vote an indictment.

You have the right to testify before the grand jury. Although your

lawyer may go with you to the proceeding, he or she must remain
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silent during your testimony. Your lawyer may not address the grand

jury or object to the prosecutor's questions. If you want to speak

with your lawyer before testifying, you may do so outside the grand

jury room. Any conversation you have with your lawyer inside thegrand jury room must be whispered and must not be heard by the

grand jurors. If you decide to testify before the grand jury, you will

probably be cross-examined by the prosecutor. Any questions the

grand jurors may have for you will be asked by the prosecutor. You

may also ask that the grand jury hear witnesses willing to testify for

you, although you are not allowed to be present in the grand jury

room while they testify.

If the grand jury does not vote an indictment, you will be released

from jail. If the grand jury votes an indictment, your case will be

transferred from Criminal Court to Supreme Court for another

arraignment within a few weeks. This arraignment is similar to the

arraignment in Criminal Court. You will be formally charged with the

crime(s) voted by the grand jury and contained in the indictment,

and you will plead either guilty or not guilty. The conditions of your

bail may also be reviewed and plea bargaining may take place. If

you do not plead guilty, your case will be adjourned to a calendarpart.

PRE-TRIAL MOTIONS

In the calendar part, plea bargaining may take place. In addition,

your lawyer will have the chance to obtain more information(discovery) about the prosecution's case against you, and to inspect

any physical evidence in the prosecutor's possession. Your lawyer

may also ask the judge if there was enough evidence presented by

the prosecutor to the grand jury to allow for the filing of the

indictment. In order to decide whether there was enough evidence,

the judge will read the transcript of the grand jury proceeding. If the

judge finds that there was not enough evidence showing that you

committed the crime(s) charged, the judge will dismiss the charges
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in the indictment or reduce the indictment to charge less serious

offenses if the evidence shows that only lesser offenses were

committed. In rare cases, an indictment may be dismissed in the

interest of justice, but only where the judge decides that theprosecution of your case would be unjust.

If police officers took property from you, or if you made a statement

to them, or if they had a witness identify you, your lawyer may file a

motion asking that such evidence be suppressed. The judge may

order that a suppression hearing be held. You have a right to be

present at the hearing.

There are different kinds ofhearings that may be held, dependingon the kind ofmotion you make to the judge. At a Mapp hearing, for

example, the judge hears evidence on the issue of whether the

police legally seized property from you. At a Huntley hearing, the

judge hears evidence on the issue of whether police officers acted

legally when and if you made a statement to them and whether the

statement was voluntarily made. At a Wade hearing, the judge hears

evidence on the issue of whether police officers used fair methods

when they had witnesses identify you as having committed thecrime. At a Dunaway hearing, the judge hears evidence on the issue

of whether police officers acted legally in arresting you. During the

suppression hearing, testimony is taken from police officers and

witnesses. Your lawyer will have a chance to cross-examine the

prosecution witnesses, and you will also be given a chance to testify

and call witnesses. If the prosecutor does not prove that the officers

acted legally, or if you, through the evidence you present, prove

that the police acted illegally, the judge will suppress the evidence.

If the judge suppresses the evidence, the prosecutor will not be able

to introduce the evidence against you at your trial. If the prosecutor

has no other evidence against you and does not intend to appeal

the judge's decision, he or she will most likely file a motion asking

the judge to dismiss your case.

The prosecutor must also bring your case to trial within a certain

period of time. Generally, in a non- homicide case, the prosecutor

must be ready to try your case within six months of the filing of the
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felony complaint in Criminal Court, or in the case of a misdemeanor,

within ninety days of the filing of the misdemeanor complaint in

Criminal Court. If the prosecutor is not ready to try your case within

the six-month period, and the time for which you were responsibledoes not reduce the time below six months if you are charged with a

felony, or ninety days if you are charged with a misdemeanor, the

judge, upon your motion, must dismiss your case. You may also be

entitled to be released from jail if the prosecutor is not ready to try

your case within certain specified periods of time, although the

charges against you would not be dismissed. If you were responsible

for delays in bringing your case to trial, those periods are not

included in the six months, ninety days, or other periods relating to

release.

THE TRIAL

Once any pre-trial hearings are finished and you have chosen not to

plead guilty, your case will go to a jury part for trial, where a judge

or ajury will decide whether or not the prosecutor has proven your

guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. You may waive ajury and be tried

before the judge. You may not, however, waive ajury if you are

charged with murder in the first degree, the only crime for which

death is a possible sentence. The trial is a proceeding held in a

public courtroom. You have an absolute right to attend the trial.

However, if you are disruptive, you may be forced to leave the

courtroom when thejury is present.

Ajurytrial begins with the selection of ajury from members of the

county in which you are tried. Ajury is chosen from people called to

serve the week your trial begins. If you are charged with a felony,

twelvejurors and two or more alternate jurors are chosen. If you are

charged with a class A misdemeanor, sixjurors and two or more

alternate jurors are chosen. Class B misdemeanors and violations

are tried before a judge.
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At the beginning of your trial, a large number of people (jury panel)

will enter the courtroom. The court clerk will call out the names of

these people, who sit in thejury box. Each is questioned by the

judge, prosecutor, and your lawyer about whether he or she can bea fair and impartialjuror in your case. If anyjuror expresses bias or

a belief that he or she cannot be fair, that person will be challenged

for cause and will not sit as ajuror in your trial. In addition, the

prosecutor and you (through your lawyer) may object to having

certain of these people sit on thejury even though the person has

not expressed any bias or doubt as to his or her ability to be fair.

This is called a peremptory challenge. The number ofperemptory

challenges each side has depends on the class of offense with which

you are charged. Jurors may not be challenged based on their race,

religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Once the required number ofjurors has been approved by both

sides, thejurors are sworn and seated in thejury box. The judge

then explains the trial procedure, the basic principles of law, and the

jurors' duties.

The prosecutor then makes an opening statement to thejury. In theopening statement, the prosecutor tells thejury how he or she

expects to prove that you committed the crime. Your lawyer may

also make an opening statement to thejury, but is not required to

do so.

Evidence consists of the testimony of witnesses under sworn oath

and exhibits. The questioning of witnesses testifying against you is

called direct examination. Your lawyer will then question those

witnesses (cross-examination). Both parties may ask to have

physical evidence introduced (exhibits), as part of their case.

After the prosecutor has presented the case against you, you may, if

you want, also present a case, called the defense,You have an

absolute right to testify or not to testify. If you choose to testify and

have been convicted of crimes in the past, the judge may permit the

prosecutor to question you in front of the jury as to one or more of

those convictions and/or bad acts. You cannot be forced to testify.
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You may also choose not to testify but to present witnesses on your

behalf. Before you may be found guilty, thejury must decide

whether or not the prosecutor has proven beyond a reasonable

doubt that you are guilty, whether or not you have presented adefense.

If you present a defense, the judge may allow the prosecutor to

present additional evidence in rebuttal to respond to any evidence

you have presented. If the judge allows rebuttalevidence, your

lawyer may then be allowed to present evidence in response to the

prosecutor'srebuttal. This is called surrebuttal.

After the evidence is presented, your lawyer and then theprosecutor will make closing arguments to thejury (the

summations), each trying to persuade thejury to convict you or to

acquit you. Following the summations, the judge will explain the law

to thejury as it applies to your case (jury charge orjury

instructions). Thejury will then go to a closed room to deliberate.

The decision of thejury is called a verdict. If thejury decides that

the evidence presented does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt

that you are guilty, the verdict will be not guilty. If thejury decides

that the evidence presented did prove beyond a reasonable doubt

that you are guilty, the verdict will be guilty. If you are charged with

more than one crime, thejury may find you guilty of all of them, not

guilty of all of them, or guilty of some and not guilty of the rest.

The verdict of thejury must be unanimous; that is, all of thejurors

must agree on the verdict. Sometimes, after much deliberation, the

jurors report that they cannot agree on a verdict. This is called ahung jury. If that happens, the judge declares a mistrial and the

prosecutor will then decide whether or not to seek another trial of

your case.

If you are found not guilty of any of the crimes charged, you have

been acquitted of those charges and can never be tried again in

State court for those same charges. If you are in jail and are

acquitted of all the charges, you will be immediately released from
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