Arraignment
The Arraignment
Under Arizona law, you can be brought to trial only after a formal citation or complaint has been filed. The citation or complaint is a document that states the charge(s) against you and alleges that your actions were unlawful. If you were given a citation/complaint by a police officer, the arraignment date will be the appearance date on your citation/complaint. If you received a summons from the Court, your arraignment date will be the court date indicated on your summons. If you are released from jail your release order will have your Court date on it.
Before the Court can consider your case, you must enter a plea. There are three possible pleas to a criminal charge:
- Not Guilty
- No Contest (nolo contendere)
- Guilty
Consideration
Your decision on what plea to enter is one of the most important decisions you will make. We suggest you read the following explanations before entering your plea.
No witnesses are present at arraignment and no testimony will be taken. The judge at arraignment will not grant a defendant's request to dismiss any charges. Instead, you must decide upon and enter a plea to the charge against you.
Programs
For some offenses, programs offered by the Town’s Prosecutor Office provide an alternative to the normal trial process. If you are eligible for these programs, information will be provided at the scheduled court date.