The Pre-trial Conference
You and your attorney will be given an opportunity to meet with a Prosecutor to review the facts supporting the State's criminal charges against you. If you have not already been provided with a settlement offer by the Prosecutor's Office at arraignment, you may be provided with one at the pre- trial conference (PTC).
At the PTC, you are entitled to review a copy of the complaint(s), any written police reports, accident reports, and any other evidence that the State intends to use at the trial. Witnesses do not attend the pre-trial conference, and no testimony is taken. You are not required to discuss the facts of your case with the Prosecutor, since anything you say to them could be used against you in further proceedings.
Options
You have three options at PTC:
- You have the option of accepting the Prosecutor's settlement offer, which routinely contains the sentence you will receive (upon acceptance by the Judge).
- You can reject the Prosecutor's offer and change your plea of "Not Guilty" to "Guilty" or "No Contest" directly to the Judge without agreeing on a sentence with the Prosecutor. Following the acceptance of your plea, you will be sentenced by the Judge.
- You can maintain your plea of "Not Guilty" and have the case set to trial.