The First Step Is Being Arrested
Video Transcribed: So what’s the process for being charged with a crime and ultimately maybe going to jail? Maybe. Hi, I’m Ty Smith, an attorney in Oklahoma City with Wirth Law.
Even if you find yourself somewhat familiar with the criminal justice process, every little step along the way can sometimes be a bit confusing. Even if you’re one of those people who watch a lot of crime shows, they don’t often talk about the nitty-gritty of the step-by-step process. So here in Oklahoma, I’m going to walk you through every step here because there are some steps that aren’t quite as well known as others.
So the first step, of course, to being charged with a crime is arrest. This one seems very obvious and should you find yourself arrested, there’s not going to be a question of whether you are or are not arrested. The cops have found probable cause and reasonable suspicion that you’ve committed a crime and they’ve put you in the back of their squad card for it and now you’re going to jail to await further proceedings.
As you’re taken to jail, you’re going to be what’s called booked. That means you’re actually put in jail and you are held there until you can be what’s called arraigned. Arraigned simply means that you are going to appear in front of the judge. This is your initial appearance, this is your first time in front of a judge. And normally they happen relatively quickly unless it happens on a Friday, in which case you have to wait till Monday probably to be arraigned, but doesn’t have to.
At the arraignment is where the bond is going to be set. This is an amount that you’re going to have to put up to be let out of jail, to be able to walk freely. Otherwise, you’re going to have to sit in holding until your potential trial comes around and that amount’s going to be set there. A lot of things go into your bond amount, your criminal record, what you did, and whether you’re a danger to society. And so I can’t tell you exactly what that amount will be, but you got to put that amount up if you’re going to be released out into public. And this is a long process. So I believe I’m going to break this up into a couple of videos.
We’ll call this part one. If you want to follow me to part two, let’s do that and next we’ll talk about what comes after that. We’ll talk about the preliminary hearing and all those other cool matters. If you have any questions for a criminal defense lawyer in Oklahoma, contact me at theoklahomacityattorney.com
