Written Arraignment

The word “arraignment” has a slightly different meaning in each state, but it generally refers to the process of a criminal defendant being told about the charges and formally entering a plea of guilty or not guilty.  Since the plea of “not guilty” is almost always entered (at least at the beginning of a case), and the charges are not really a secret that the defendant is learning at arraignment, the court appearance for an arraignment is often more a matter of a formality than anything of real substance.  The state of Iowa recognizes this, and allows arraignments to be handled in writing as a

Read more