DUI Arraignment

In West Chester, Chester County and the remainder of the counties of Pennsylvania, there are certain critical points in the criminal process once someone has been arrested for a crime. Two of the critical stages in the criminal process are the preliminary arraignment and the formal arraignment. A DUI arraignment is important because it is the point at which the Judge sets bail in a particular case.

The next step in the criminal process is the preliminary hearing. (Read more about the preliminary hearing here)Once someone has been charged with a DUI or drunk driving offense they are taken before a magisterial district justice in order to have a preliminary arraignment conducted. A preliminary arraignment is the process in which a Judge evaluates the charges that one has been arrested for, their criminal history, their ties to the community and whether they have a history of failing to appear for Court dates. At that point, the Judge will set bail after deciding what amount and conditions will ensure the accused’s appearance at the next court date.

Once the preliminary hearing has been conducted, and if the Judge finds that there is enough evidence present to hold the accused for trial, the next step is the formal arraignment.

The formal arraignment is the time at which you, as an accused individual, are formally advised of the charges that are currently pending against you, and you are asked whether it is your wish to plead guilty or not guilty.

These critical stages of the criminal process are not to be taken lightly. When charged with a DUI or drunk driving offense, there is not time to waste. It is important to contact a skilled DUI and drunk driving attorney in West Chester in order to properly and completely address and advise you as you go through these critical stages of the criminal process.