“Bail”  Bail is money that is given to the Court to hold while your case is pending to guarantee that you will show up to court when you are supposed to.  You are allowed to post bail while your case is pending except in cases of first degree murder and violation of probation.  The amount of bail usually depends on the local bail schedule which is based on the seriousness of the crime you are charged with.  The judge may lower the bail amount if your attorney shows that you are unlikely to run (for example, that you have strong ties to the community by way of a steady job, family etc.)  You can get all of your bail money back at end of case.

“Bail Bond”  Money that is given to the court by a "bondsman" to guarantee that you will show up to court when you are supposed to.  A Bondsman is a person who charges a fee (usually 10% or 15%) for posting the bond.  If you do not appear in court when you are supposed to, the bondsman may lose his or her money or property.  Usually, the bondsman will look for you and bring you back to court, forcefully if necessary, in order to get their money back.

“Charge”  A formal accusation of criminal activity.  The prosecutor decides on the charges after reviewing police reports, witness statements and any other evidence of wrongdoing.  Formal charges are announced at the Arraignment.

"Arraignment."  This occurs after the state has filed formal charges.  At the arraignment, the judge only wants to know whether you plead guilty, not guilty or no contest.  Telling your side of the story to the arraignment judge only helps the prosecutor.  Your bail hearing may be held at the arraignment or shortly afterwards.  Also, a trial date may be set.  If a trial date is set, it may change (get further away) as events progress.

"Discovery."  After there are formal charges against           you, you have a right to see all the evidence that the   prosecutor has including questioning witnesses.  This   process may take several months.  Towards the end of the discovery period your lawyer and the prosecutor may begin to negotiate or bargain the charges against you.  This is called "plea bargaining."

"Plea Bargaining."  Plea Bargaining may start at any time, but generally, your lawyer will wait until he or she sees all the evidence against you.  Plea Bargaining may continue even until trial.  Be aware that in many cases there are sentencing that control how long or shot a sentence may be imposed for any given type of crime.  Your lawyer cannot change these guidelines but he or she may be able to negotiate a different type of charge or fewer charges which carries a lesser sentence.

“Trial.”  If the grand jury hands down an indictment and your lawyer is unable to negotiate a plea with the prosecutor, there will be a trial.  In a trial, the prosecutor goes first and tells their whole case to the jury, witnesses for the prosecution are heard and evidence against you is presented.  After the prosecutor is finished, your lawyer will tell your side of the story.  Your lawyer will get the chance to question each of the prosecutor's witnesses and each item of evidence presented against you.  Your lawyer may use any one of a number of different strategies to defend you at the trial.  This will all be discussed in further detail at a later date if your case reaches that point.

“Sentencing.”  If the jury finds you guilty it is up to the judge to determine what your sentence will be.  The sentencing usually happens a few weeks after the trial ends.