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- Circuit Court - a court of record in which the actual criminal
trial takes place.
- Defendant - the person charged with committing a crime.
- Docket - a schedule of cases to be heard on a particular
day in a certain court.
- Felony - a serious crime punishable by possible imprisonment
for a minimum of one year or more.
- General District Court - the lower court in which most preliminary
hearings take place.
- Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court - the lower court in
which all juvenile cases are heard, where either the victim or defendant
is a juvenile, or where the victim and defendant are related or have
a child together or have lived together within the last 12 months.
- Misdemeanor - a less serious crime punishable by confinement
in jail for a maximum of one year, or a fine of $2,500, or both.
- Plea Agreement - an agreement between the Commonwealth and
defendant as to the charges the defendant will plead guilty to and/or
the time the defendant will receive. If you are a victim, the prosecutor
will try to contact you before a plea agreement is formalized in order
to give you a full explanation.
- Pre-sentence Report - a background investigation of the
defendant prepared for the court prior to sentencing.
- Preliminary Hearing - a hearing before a judge to determine
if there is probable cause to believe the accused has committed the
crime charged.
- Probable Cause - reasonable grounds to believe that a crime
has been committed and that the person charged committed the crime.
- Subpoena - a court order directing you to be present at
the time and place stated.
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