Arraignments, plea negotiations, and sentencing hearings
, for example, are all critical stages of a case.
What is a critical stage?
Legal Definition of critical stage
:
a stage in a criminal proceeding at which the accused’s rights or defenses may be affected and which triggers the Sixth Amendment right to counsel
.
Which of the following is not a critical stage of a criminal proceeding?
Non-critical stages of a criminal proceeding include
preliminary identification procedures
such as blood samples, voice samples and handwriting exemplars, police line-ups prior to indictment, non-adversarial detention hearings, probation and parole revocation hearings, grand jury proceedings, and discretionary appeals.
Which of the following are considered critical stages in a criminal proceeding in which the right to counsel attaches?
The Sixth Amendment right to assistance of counsel
applies to all “critical stages” in a criminal proceeding. The Supreme Court has held that critical stages include arraignment, post indictment line-ups, post indictment interrogation, plea negotiations, and entering a plea of guilty.
What is the critical stage of prosecution?
A critical stage of prosecution includes
every instance in which the advice of counsel is necessary to ensure a defendant’s right to a fair trial or in which the absence of counsel might impair the preparation or presentation of a defense
(United States v. Hidalgo, 7 F. 3d 1566 [11th Cir. 1993]).
What are the 5 steps of a criminal case?
- Arrest.
- Preliminary hearing.
- Grand jury investigation.
- Arraignment in Criminal Court.
- Trial by jury.
What are the 7 stages of a criminal trial?
- Voir Dire. Voir Dire is a fancy French word used to name jury selection. …
- Opening Statement. After the jury is empaneled, the trial will begin with opening statements. …
- State’s Case in Chief. …
- The Defense Case. …
- State’s Rebuttal. …
- Closing Arguments. …
- Verdict.
What four things is the defendant entitled to under the Sixth Amendment?
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the rights of criminal defendants, including
the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay
, the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, and the right to know who your accusers are and the nature of the charges and evidence against you.
Is a lineup a critical stage?
United States v. Wade, together with Gilbert v. California, created the Wade-Gilbert Rule. Under this rule, the Supreme court held post-indictment lineups are
a critical stage of the criminal prosecution
and the defendant is entitled to have their counsel present at critical stages under the Sixth Amendment.
What are the characteristics of a critical stage?
- The filing of charges;
- The preliminary hearing;
- Any bond reduction or modification hearing;
- Arraignment hearing;
- Motions hearing concerning pre-plea relief or post-plea relief or evidentiary matters;
- Disposition of the complaint or charges against the person accused;
What are the three classifications of crimes?
Crimes receive different classifications according to their severity. The mildest crimes are known as
infractions
, more serious crimes are known as misdemeanors, and the most serious crimes are known as felonies.
At what stages are the criminally accused entitled to counsel?
In Brewer v. Williams, 430 U.S. 387 (1977), the Supreme Court held that a defendant gains the right to an attorney “
at or after the time that judicial proceedings have been initiated against him
, whether by formal charge, preliminary hearing, indictment, information, or arraignment.”
What is the test used to determine effective assistance of counsel?
Lockhart, the Court applied
the Strickland test
to attorney decisions to accept a plea bargain, holding that a defendant must show a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s errors, the defendant would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted on going to trial.
Is initial appearance a critical stage?
Lipetzky that an initial appearance in California
did not qualify as a critical stage
that would trigger the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
Is a bail hearing a critical stage?
Because a bad outcome at a bail hearing can prejudice the defend- ant in subsequent plea bargaining,
bail is now a critical stage
.
What are the 8 steps in a criminal case?
- 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. …
- Step 4: Pretrial Proceedings. …
- Step 5: Trial. …
- Step 6: Verdict. …
- Step 7: Sentencing. …
- Step 8: Appeal.
