What Happens at a Massachusetts Criminal Arraignment

What happens at a Massachusetts Arraignment? I am Patrick Donovan a Mass Criminal Attorney and a Former Assistant District Attorney. So if you have been arrested or summons to an arraignment you are probably wondering what to expect? An arraignment will be your first official court hearing The purpose of the arraignment is to formally charge you with a crime and to possibly set bail. It is a hearing held before a judge. There will be a a prosecutor at the Massachusetts arraignment. So what actually happens at an arraignment? At an arraignment you are called to stand before the judge. A clerk then reads the charges against you and then usually automatically enters a plea of not guilty. The judge then asks if you plan to hire your own lawyer or represent yourself or see if you qualify for a court appointed attorney. If you do qualify a court appointed attorney will be assigned to you on the spot. If you are charged with a minor case the judge may ask if you want to conference with the prosecutor and try to work it out. If it is a not a minor case The the judge will ask the prosecutor if there is request for bail Bail can be either a set amount of money or conditions of release. Conditions of release can be things like you need to remain drug and alcohol free with random tests or stay away from a certain person or place. The judge has the decision to set bail. A judge may or may not decide to set bail. After the bail question is decided the court will assign you a pretrial conference date. That will be your next hearing. One tip I give all of my clients is to arrive at the courthouse early and check in with the probation department. Probation must complete a intake form before your case is call so you want to do that as early as possible. I hope that helps explain what happens at a Massachusetts Arraignment. http://www.pdonovanlaw.com