Each courthouse follows the same general procedure, but has its own little quirks. The layout of each courthouse can differ, as well as other factors that might be pertinent to your case. If you have to go to court for a domestic violence charge, you want to reduce the amount of stress that you are dealing with related to this charge. Understanding the courthouse can help you prepare for your court hearings and what it will be like to go to court. If your case will be heard in the Hartford Courthouse in Connecticut, here is some information that might be helpful.
Hartford Courthouse
If your domestic violence case is in the Hartford Geographical Area Courthouse, your case will be heard in the courtrooms on the second floor. There is a printed docket sheet listing all of the cases for that day on the first floor near the elevators in the main lobby. The docket sheets will tell you which courtroom is hearing your case. On your first court date, you will need to report to the Family Relations Counselor for your intake interview. Their office is on the third floor towards the back of the courthouse. After your interview, you will go back down to your assigned second floor courtroom for your arraignment.
After your arraignment, you will need to report back to the Family Relations Counselor to receive information about your pre-trial release conditions. On each of your court dates, the Family Relations Counselor will update the judge on your compliance with your release conditions.
Hartford court imposes an additional restriction upon defendants charged with domestic violence crimes. Hartford court participates in a G.P.S. monitoring program for domestic violence offenders. Depending upon the severity of your charges, you may be fitted with a G.P.S. ankle device which will electronically monitor your movements. This is in addition to the criminal protective order and the other release conditions.
Hartford court has a special court official that handles all of the administrative monitoring of the G.P.S. devices. You will be instructed to remain a certain distance from the protected party at all times. This will be tracked using the G.P.S. device. If you violate the G.P.S. restrictions, you will be subject to further arrest and prosecution for the additional crime of Violation of Release Conditions, among other penalties.
After a sufficient period of pre-trial release, you will have the opportunity to resolve your case. If you enter into a plea agreement, and depending on your sentence, you may need to continue to report in to either Family Relations or Adult Probation for administrative monitoring. If you reject the prosecutor’s plea offer, your case will be placed on the court’s jury trial docket. Depending upon the number of cases waiting for jury trials, it may take several months before your trial takes place.
Get Legal Representation for DV Cases in Hartford
Facing court can be overwhelming. But, you can always get help and support from a lawyer who will have your best interest at heart. Contact our office to see how we can help you with a domestic violence charge in the Hartford Courthouse.