Shortly after an arrest, the accused will be required to appear in court. At the first trial setting, the defense lawyer will meet with the prosecutor to discuss your case. Usually, the prosecutor will allow the defense lawyer to look at the state’s file. The state’s file will contain offense reports by police officers along with other information related to the case like lab test results or sworn affidavits by witnesses to the crime.
The prosecutor will usually “rec” the file. In other words, the prosecutor will look at the offense report along with other pertinent information like the accused’s criminal history and come up with a proposed punishment. The defense lawyer will communicate the offer to the accused.
Most likely, the case will be reset for another docket call. Cases will often be reset several times as the prosecutor and defense lawyer argue and negotiate over the evidence.
Ultimately, either both sides will reach a plea agreement or the case will be set for trial.