A criminal case contains verity of stages. First initial arrest followed by sentencing and possibly followed by the appeal. During the pretrial the arrest occurs. That’s when a person is under custody which consists of them no longer being free to leave or shift. During the arrest all that is needed is a police authority over the person. The arrest can happen when a police officer has seen the person commit the crime or has probable cause to trust that a person did commit the crime or is about to commit a crime. After arrest, booking takes place. Booking occurs when the person is brought down to the police station after the arrest and has been accessed to the police system. This procedure contains taking fingerprints and gathering personal information. After all the information is all set the person is placed into a holding cell. After booking bail comes about. Bail is when the arrested individual pays money in exchange for release from custody. That’s when the individual agrees to show up to court for the scheduled events as a condition of their release. The arraignment is the first time showing up to the court in a criminal case. This is when the judge reads off the charges set against the criminal. It is also the time when the judge asks the person if they have an attorney and to enter a plea usually of guilty or not guilty. Preliminary hearing and trial may also occur during arraignment. The police report is also given to the defendant and his/her attorney. Even if the defendant cannot afford an attorney they have a right to have one if the charges do result in jail sentence. The judge will determine a lawyer to represent the defendant. Majority of criminal cases end at plea bargain. The defendant plead guilty for a lighter sentence. From time to time if the defendant pleads guilty to one of many charges the prosecutor will approve to drop the other charges. The prosecutor and the defendants both work on the situation to agree on an outcome or they cannot agree which than both sides give a punishment to the judge, and the judge decides on whichever he/she thinks is appropriate. If there is no plea bargain after the arraignment, a preliminary hearing is held. Soon after the judge concentrates on the prosecutor’s evidence and makes decision on whether there is enough evidence to change the defendant with the crime. It is always important to have a criminal defense lawyer by your side that understands the process and the law during a criminal case. If charged with a crime an option for you is to get in contact with a criminal defense attorney to be able to guide your through the process and maintains in your behalf.