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For more superior court information, click here: http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/locations/ Then click on “Huntington Park” For information on bail bonds in Vernon, contact Premiere Bail Bonds at 800-662-0056. Huntington Park District Attorney’s Office 2958 East Florence Ave. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes felony crimes throughout Los Angeles County – a jurisdiction covering 4,083 square miles. The territory stretches from Antelope Valley to Long Beach, from Pomona to Malibu. The District Attorney’s Office also prosecutes misdemeanor crimes in unincorporated areas of the County, including East Los Angeles, and in 78 of the 88 County cities . Los Angeles County is larger in population than 42 states in the nation with a population of approximately 9.8 million people. As the largest local prosecutorial agency in the nation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has a jurisdiction covering 4,083 square miles. The territory stretches from Antelope Valley to Long Beach, from Pomona to Malibu. For more information, click here: http://da.co.la.ca.us/default.htm Los Angeles County Public Defenders OfficeDirectory to Public Defender Offices The Public Defender is a law office established and funded by the County of Los Angeles. The functions of the office are defined by the county charter and by California state law. The attorneys and other staff employed by the office render legal services to individuals who are accused of public offenses, and who cannot afford to retain the services of a private attorney. We also represent any person under the age of 18 who is facing juvenile delinquency proceedings, or regarding whom the state has instituted wardship proceedings because of habitual truancy or incorrigibility. We represent individuals who are involuntarily detained in medical facilities in a variety of mental health proceedings because of purported mental disabilities, those as to whom conservatorship proceedings have been instituted because they are alleged to be gravely disabled, and patients whose competency to refuse medical treatment is challenged. Finally, we represent individuals who are subject to contempt proceedings for violation of court orders, such as child support and child visitation or custody orders. How do I get a get a Deputy Pubic Defender to represent me?The primary responsibility of the Public Defender's Office is to ensure the representation of any person -- whether in custody or not -- who has been accused of a crime, but is currently unable to afford to hire private defense counsel. If you have been arrested and remain in custody , you will be brought to a local court usually within 48 hours of your arrest. If you are not in custody , you will be given a time and place to appear for your first court date. The first court date is called the arraignment . When you first appear in court for your arraignment, you will be represented by the Public Defender's Office upon your request if your are indigent. A Deputy Public Defender who handles arraignments in the court where your case is set will be in the courtroom to review the files describing the charges against you along with the police reports. After reviewing the paperwork, this attorney or a Public Defender paralegal will meet with you to explain the charges and the legal process. In some cases the Deputy Public Defender who represents you at this first appearance will handle all of your case. In other cases you might be represented by more than one attorney during different proceedings. The Public Defender's Office represents only those people who cannot afford to retain their own attorneys. At your arraignment -- whether you are in custody or not -- the County of Los Angeles may require that you complete a financial statement regarding your assets to determine whether you can afford a private attorney. A Public Defender employee will be available to assist you in completing this form. Even if you do qualify for our services, the County will request that you pay a registration fee of $25.00 for the services of the Public Defender's Office, as is required by State law. Although not every court handles the issue of financial eligibility for the Public Defender in the same way, a determination as to whether you are eligible for our services will be made either by the judge in the arraignment court or by a Deputy Public Defender in that particular court. However, no person will ever be denied the assistance of the Public Defender because of inability to pay the registration fee or any other cost of appointed counsel. What happens when someone is charged with a felony?A felony is a serious criminal charge, which is defined in terms of possible punishment. It is defined in the California Penal Code as "any crime that is punishable by death or by imprisonment in state prison." In most cases, a felony prosecution starts with an arrest. Written police reports are presented to the District Attorney's Office, which then decides what charges, if any, should be filed and whether those charges will be felonies or misdemeanors (which are less serious crimes punishable by no more than a year in county jail and/or a possible fine). Felony charges may also be filed even though there has not been an arrest. For example, the police may conduct an investigation of a crime and identify a suspect. Rather than arresting that person, the police may instead present their investigation to the District Attorney, who may file charges with a court and get an arrest warrant. The District Attorney may also present evidence to the Grand Jury, which has the power to charge a person with a felony. The first step in the criminal court process is called an arraignment. Usually, this is the first time the defendant appears in court. He is informed of the charges, and is offered legal representation if he cannot afford to hire a private attorney. The defendant then enters a plea of guilty or not guilty. Most often, this is also the time when the defendant has his first contact with the Public Defender's Office. The Deputy Public Defender who handles arraignments in that particular court will discuss the case briefly with the defendant. Ordinarily the Deputy Public Defender will then enter a plea of "not guilty" on behalf of the client. (If a case is particularly complex or unusual, a plea might not be entered at the first appearance, but might be entered at a later date in order to allow the Deputy Public Defender time to gather more information about the charges.) If a "not guilty" plea is entered at this first appearance, the case will then be scheduled for a preliminary hearing which is usually set no later than 10 court days after the arraignment. The preliminary hearing is the court proceeding at which the District Attorney's Office must present enough evidence to convince a judge that there is reasonable cause to believe a crime has been committed -- and that the accused is the person who committed the crime. This hearing is not heard by a jury, and at this point in the criminal process, the prosecution's case does not have to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The primary purpose of the preliminary hearing is to weed out charges that are obviously groundless. At a preliminary hearing, the prosecution may use police officers to present the statements of victims and witnesses to demonstrate to the judge that there is enough evidence to justify sending the case to a court for trial. The vast majority of defendants are "held to answer" after the preliminary hearing. Understandably, this can be terribly frustrating for a client who wants to "fight" aggressively to win his case now, rather than later. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, nor wise. However, it is always important to remember that delay in a court case does not mean defeat. Effective and thorough legal defense takes time to prepare and that is always worth waiting for. The case then moves to a trial court where the defendant is once again arraigned; however, this time a trial date is set. Generally speaking, the trial has to occur within 60 days from the date of this new arraignment, although felony cases frequently require more time so that the defense can conduct a complete, independent investigation, interview witnesses, consult with expert witnesses, and sift through all evidence presented by the District Attorney. The defense attorney may also make various motions in order to get the case dismissed on legal grounds, such as a motion to get certain evidence thrown out of court because the police acted improperly when seizing this evidence, or a motion to dismiss because the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing was not strong enough to warrant a trial. The defense might also make motions to force the District Attorney or the police to disclose other pieces of evidence which could prove that the client is not guilty of the charge. While the case is ongoing, the defendant may decide he or she does not want to go to trial but wants to settle the matter. Just as often, a District Attorney might offer the defendant a case settlement, referred to as a "plea bargain," to plead guilty to a less serious charge or agree to ask for reduced incarceration time at sentencing. Settlement may occur at any time, from the first court appearance at the initial arraignment up to, and even during, trial. Case settlement usually involves the defendant pleading "guilty" or "no contest" for an agreed sentence or to an agreed-upon charge. Another kind of "settlement" can be possible in certain felony cases involving non-violent drug offenses. Individuals who have been charged with first-time drug offenses, as well as certain defendants who suffer from the disease of drug addiction may be eligible to attend classes or other rehabilitation programs. If they successfully complete all required programs, they can have their case dismissed in a process which is known as "Deferred Entry of Judgment" -- commonly referred to as DEJ or drug diversion. Still other defendants who commit non-violent drug possession offenses may be eligible for sentencing according to the Proposition 36, which generally favors long-term drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration. DEJ is available only upon a plea of "guilty," whereas Proposition 36 sentencing is available upon conviction -- whether a defendant pleaded guilty or was found guilty after a trial. ( For a description of treatment through a Drug Court, click here. ) An adult criminal defendant has the right to a trial by jury. This is where 12 jurors, who are called "the finders of fact," listen to all the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense and decide what is proved and what is not. The judge's job at a jury trial is to make sure that both the prosecution and the defense adhere to all the rules of evidence when presenting their case to the jury. At trial, the prosecution must try to prove the client's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All 12 jurors must agree in order to either convict or acquit. If the jury cannot agree, a "mistrial" will be declared by the court, and the case may be tried again before a different jury, it may be dismissed, or a case settlement may be agreed by the prosecution and the defense. A defendant can also decide to have a judge hear the case, instead of a jury; this is called a "court trial." For this to happen, the prosecution must also agree. In a court trial, the prosecution still has to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, but this time, the judge is the "finder of fact" and must decide whether or not the defendant is guilty, while also making certain that both attorneys are abiding by all the rules of evidence. If a defendant is found guilty, the judge will then impose a sentence.
The possible range of sentence, which is set by various laws, may range
from no jail and probation, to imprisonment in the state prison. Sentencing
can be a very complex process, depending on the severity of the crime
for which the defendant has just been convicted. Defendants who have been convicted after a trial have the right to appeal their conviction. This process is started by the trial attorney who, upon request of the client, will file a notice of appeal in the trial court within 60 days of the imposition of sentence. A lawyer who specializes in appeals will then be appointed by the Court of Appeal to represent the defendant on appeal. For more information on the Public Defender’s office, click here: http://pd.co.la.ca.us/Services.html If you need help with bail bonds in Vernon, call Premiere Bail Bonds at 800-662-0056. |
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