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The Desk Appearance Ticket Process - Overview
Criminal cases generally begin with a formal arrest. A police officer may
choose, with certain offenses, to issue a desk appearance ticket if you
are deemed to be a low flight risk. Just as in a formal arrest, you may
be handcuffed and brought to a police station. There, the officer collects
basic information and processes your prints. Once booking is complete,
you are given the appearance ticket and allowed to leave. Ocassionally,
you may have to post bail before leaving. Desk appearance tickets can
be issued for misdemeanors or violations. After its been issued, the arresting
officer will contact the District Attorney’s Office (DA) to prepare
a complaint which is then filed in criminal court in time for your arraignment
on the "
return date". The time between being issued a desk appearance ticket and the
return date is a critical period. Although you've been arrested, you
have not been formally charged in court and it may be possible to avoid
the filing of charges against you.
Contact us for more details.
At your arraignment on the "return date" you may be interviewed
by the Criminal Justice Agency and fingerprinted (if this wasn't already
done). The Criminal Justice Agency will provide a recommendation to the
arraignment judge regarding whether you should be held without bail, held
with bail, or released without bail (
ROR). If bail is set, it may be paid at any courthouse during business hours
and/or at the city jail where you are being held at any time.
Click here to locate someone being held by the New York City Department of Correction
and to find out how much bail has been set. If you are released, you must
appear for all future court appearances (adjournments) which can occur
every month or so, depending on the case.
Contact us for more details.
After the arraignment, your case will be litigated in a calendar part where
the DA may need to file certain paperwork. There, your attorney can make
motions on your behalf, and demand discovery (disclosure of what the government’s
evidence is). Litigation also affords an opportunity to plea bargain and
where your case may be successfully resolved. A misdemeanor case may be
resolved after only one court appearance but it may take many more, depending
on the severity of the charges and the complexity of the case.
Contact us to learn how long your case may last (link to contact page).
Litigation ends with a dismissal, plea-bargain, conviction, or acquittal
after trial. Our office is prepared to handle your case at any stage up
to and including trail. Call 212.619.3900 for a confidential case evaluation.
Criminal Court is a complicated place to find yourself. Because your or
your loved one’s case is pending in New York City / the New York
City Metropolitan Area, there are two things to keep in mind. First of
all, the courts are extremely crowded and overburdened. Depending on how
your Desk Appearance Ticket is handled, this can work for you or against
you. Secondly, there is no such thing as a typical case. There are over
five hundred attorneys at the Manhattan DA’s Office, and over one-thousand
five-hundred prosecuting attorneys in New York City alone with unique
personalities and differing attitudes about crime. As there are numerous
prosecutors, so there are numerous judges and other court personnel. Most
cases are not based on direct physical evidence, but the recollection
of a witness which was formed at a particular time and place in a crowded,
chaotic city. No two cases ever have the same facts, witnesses, prosecutors
or judges. Never enter the New York City Criminal System without an experienced
New York City Criminal Defense Lawyer and our office is ready to take on the simplest to the most complicated
Desk Appearance Ticket case. Mr. Fletcher has successfully handled hundreds
of Desk Appearance Tickets in New York City.
Contact us for a confidential case evaluation (link).