An arraignment is a procedural process wherein the court reads the criminal charge to the defendant and determines if bail will be set and the amount of bail.  The defendant may waive a reading of the charges and enter a plea of not guilty.  During the arraignment, the judge may review your charge to determine whether probable cause exist to sustain a criminal conviction.

The defendant may also plead guilty or no contest. A no contest plea is similar to a guilty plea in that you are accepting the validity of the charge – but with No Contest you are not admitting guilt.  Upon a plea of  No Contest or Guilty, you may be sentenced at that time, depending on the severity of the charge, and will not go to trial. If you plead Not Guilty, a pre-trial date or a trial date will be set.

During the arraignment or preliminary hearing, the judge will set the bail or bond amount, which varies depending on the crime and the defendant’s criminal history. If the crime is of a less serious nature and the court does not believe you are a flight risk or a danger to society, there may be bail amount set.  In the case of more serious crimes such as rape or murder, the court may decide to set a high bail or no bail.