Stages of criminal procedure

The major steps in processing a criminal case are as follows:

• Investigation of a crime by the police. ...
• Arrest of a suspect by the police. ...
• Prosecution of a criminal defendant by a district attorney. ...

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The 8 Steps of Criminal Proceedings

• Step 1: Arrest An arrest is the initial stage in the criminal process in which an individual accused of a crime is taken into custody. ...
• Step 2: Charges ...
• Step 3: Arraignment ...

Stop, detention, and arrest; Search and seizure; Booking and filing charges; Suspect and/or eyewitness lineup identifications; Appointment of counsel, which refers to assigning a court-appointed lawyer to the defendant if they cannot provide one for themselves; Plea bargaining;

First, the crime is reported to the police station. Thereafter the police open a docket and the crime is investigated by the investigating officer. Next, the docket is sent to Court and the prosecutor must make a decision as to whether further investigation is necessary.

Criminal procedure can be divided into three stages or phrases, namely pre-trial, trial and post-trial. These divisions are not absolutely watertight.