Your Desk Appearance Ticket Process in NYC
After you’ve been arrested and sometimes fingerprinted and photographed, a desk appearance ticket is issued to tell you when and where you must report to see judge. This is your first court date which is called an arraignment. The arraignment is when you are officially told about the charges and given options about how to proceed. The simple process for a desk appearance ticket through arraignment is as follows
- You got arrested
- You were given a desk appearance ticket
- You appear in court as directed on the date listed in the middle of your ticket
- Most courtrooms start hearing cases at 9:00 am but your case won’t be heard until your attorney notifies the court that you and your attorney are ready
- When your name is called, you and your attorney stand in front of a criminal court judge
- You may have additional court dates depending on what happens at the first court date
In criminal court, the District Attorney will prosecute you meaning that they will formally accuse you of committing a crime. Your attorney will defend you and the judge will monitor the process and might determine an appropriate punishment, if applicable.
Decisions made during your first court date could affect you for the rest of your life. For example, if you are agree to something your attorney is suggesting, it could cause a serious problem. In the most extreme situation, you could agree to something that lands you in jail. In a less extreme situation, you may agree to something that gives you a record or has consequences for employment, a professional license, immigration, or international travel.
If you’ve received a desk appearance ticket, contact us for a free case evaluation.