What is an Arraignment?
Arraignment is the first step in a criminal proceeding. During an arraignment, a defendant appears to be advised of the charges and enter a plea: guilty or not guilty. During arraignment, further court dates are also set and the hearing offers a defendant the opportunity to ask for court-appointed counsel, if he or she hasn’t secured a lawyer of his or her own. Moreover, bail issues can be resolved at the arraignment hearing.
To arraign is nothing else but to call the prisoner to the bar of the court to answer the matter charged against him in the indictment.25 The old common law formality was to read the indictment to the defendant on his arraignment for the purpose of informing him of the charge he was required to answer, but the furnishing him with a copy of the indictment answers the purpose of reading it.26 It is universally the practice to furnish the defendant with a copy of the indictment, a list of the witnesses, and of the jurors at the time of his arraignment on an indictment for a felony, and also in a misdemeanor when he shall make request for such copy. But if the defendant pleads to the indictment without having been first provided with such copy and list of witnesses or jurors he thereby waives his right in that respect.
An arraignment is an assigned first court appearance for people accused of violating Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) laws or City Ordinances. During an arraignment session, the judge will explain the process by which you may plead to the charge against you, seek help to understand your legal rights, and otherwise dispose of your case. After you check in with the Court Clerk, your name will be called, and you will be asked how you want to proceed with your case. At that point, you will also have the opportunity to request a pre-trial conference with the City Solicitor to discuss your options.
