Describes courtroom layouts, rules and customs, and looks at legal procedures, evidence, and goals.

Do you know what happens when you are accused of a crime? How you are charged? How plea bargains work? What happens in court? Anyone who needs answers to these questions -- people accused of a crime, victims of crime, their families and friends, witnesses and those who want to know how the system works -- can turn to a plain-English legal book for the information they need.The easy-to-follow, question-and-answer format covers: · arrests and booking · preliminary hearings · charges · bail · courts · arraignment · search and seizure · defenses · evidence · trials · plea bargains · sentencing · juveniles · "crimespeak," the language commonly used in criminal statutes The 7th edition covers all of the latest changes in criminal law and Supreme Court cases, including a new section on white-collar crime. It also includes new information about capital punishment, imprisonment data and bail.

Answers questions about the criminal court system, discussing the roles of lawyers, police, and judges, and covering such topics as bail, preliminary hearings, evidence, lineups, and sentencing