Oh no, they arrested me. And now that?

If you have been arrested and charged with a crime, you will likely be taken to jail to be searched. The reservation is part of the record keeping process. It includes the mugshot, fingerprints, the alleged crime (s), and a few other miscellaneous details related to your arrest.

Then, using a schedule established by the courts, a bond will be set. This amount is determined by the severity of your charges along with the number of charges filed against you. In some cases, no bond will be set; however, most will have a bond posted. Also, unless you have been indicted by a grand jury, you will appear before the magistrate to inform him of the charges brought against you and to be informed of the amount of the bail. In some cases, the judge may ask you a few questions, but generally this appearance is very short and is usually done via closed circuit television from the jail to the judge in the courtroom.

During the initial appearance, the judge may ask you if you have hired an attorney or if you would like to be appointed. If you request a designated attorney, you will need to complete an application that includes your financial status and your ability or inability to retain an attorney.

The next court appearance will be for arraignment. Your attorney must be with you during this brief hearing. The purpose of an arraignment is for you to hear the formal charges brought by the district attorney and to declare your plea of ​​not guilty or guilty in court. If you plead not guilty, you have 15 days to file motions. Motions can include a wide variety of topics, primarily for the court to determine the constitutionality of the circumstances surrounding your arrest. Both the United States and Louisiana Constitutions provide rights that must be respected for a valid arrest, prosecution, and conviction. If any of these rights are found to have been violated, all charges may be dismissed and your case terminated, unless the District Attorney can correct any errors and re-file the charges.

Once all the motion hearings in court have been argued, a hearing will be held as a pretrial conference to clarify all remaining issues and set a date for the trial.

Depending on the facts and the seriousness of the alleged crimes, this may take a year or more; although most cases are handled in six to eight months.

This short summary only explains the highlights of the entire process. This is just to give you a general idea of ​​what to expect. If you are arrested and when you are arrested, your attorney should keep you informed and help you understand what is happening and what to expect.