Pennsylvania Criminal Court Process
If you have recently been arrested you may be wondering what will happen next and what the various stages of a criminal case are. The following information will give you a general understanding of how a typical criminal case progresses through the Pennsylvania court system in Luzerne County. It is an outline of the Pennsylvania criminal process in Luzerne County and it also serves as a table of contents for the information I drafted on this topic. Hopefully this background information will reduce the fear of the unknown and will help ease your worry about your case.
Each section and subsection is linked to an article I wrote briefly describing the topic. You will also find links in those articles that provide additional information about the subject. Please understand that this information is presented in general terms and is not legal advice. All cases are different and you should consult with a lawyer if you have a legal issue. Finally, please understand that a case can be resolved at any stage of the criminal process and that few cases will journey through its entirety.
- Arrest
- A Legal Arrests Must be Supported by Probably Cause
- Filing of a Criminal
- Summons of Arrest Warrant Issued
- Preliminary Arraignment
- Preliminary Hearing
- Information Filed
- Formal Arraignment
- Pre-trial Status Conference
- Plea Agreement or Trial
- Plea Agreement
- Trial
- Jury Selection
- Opening Statements
- The Commonwealth Presents their Case
- The Defense has the Opportunity to Present their Case
- Commonwealth's Rebuttal
- Closing Arguments
- Jury Instructions & Verdict
- Sentencing
- Appeal
- Post-Sentence Appeals
- Interlocutory Appeals
- Discretionary Appeal / Appeal by Leave of the Court
- Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA)