Its a shame we had to arrest John again... That's the second time this year!

Yeah.. Well, you break the law you get caught. Hopefully this time around he will learn his lesson.

I sure hope so.

...Say, what are the steps again? For criminal cases-- the steps that John will have to go through.

Oh, well that's easy. First we start with the arrest obviously, you know how that goes.

Well of course I do!

An arrest is made when someone witnesses a crime and reports it-- Like when John stole that super expensive purse from that woman. Sometimes, an arrest can be made if a judge issues an arrest warrant too.

Right. John is currently on his way to the police station where he will be charged with a crime, fingerprinted, and photographed. During this time, he can hire a lawyer.

Next comes the hearing

So what comes next?

By this time, John will have been informed of his charges. The prosecution must then show the judge evidence of the crime. If the evidence is strong enough, the judge can send John back to jail or set bail. The judge may even release him.

After the hearing is the indictment. This is when the Grand Jury will decide if John should be indicted.

Isn't the arraignment next?

Yup. This is when John will appear in court and is formally presented with charges.

"Guilty"

If John, the defendant, pleads guilty, he will stand convicted of the crime. He will agree to plea guilty, but only if his charge is lessened.