Understanding the Criminal Court Process

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The criminal court process

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Explains the criminal court process from before your arraignment through the pre-trial, trial, and verdict process.

• Before your arraignment 
• What to expect at your arraignment or first court appearance 
• Your arraignment or first appearance in court 
• Consequences & processes after your arraignment or first court appearance 
• The pre-trial, trial, and verdict process 

Additional information about criminal proceedings

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• How to file a criminal complaint 
• Criminal proceedings in the Housing Court 
• Court forms for criminal matters 
• Glossary of court terms 

District Court criminal procedure resources

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• District court complaint manual 
• Criminal model jury instructions for use in the District Court 
• Open PDF file, 310.19 KB,  District Court Standards of Judicial Practice: The Complaint Procedure (English, PDF 310.19 KB)
• Open PDF file, 9.04 KB,  Offenses Within District Court Criminal Jurisdiction (English, PDF 9.04 KB)

Rules of criminal procedure

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• Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure 
• Massachusetts District/Municipal Courts Rules of Criminal Procedure