Article 1 Short Title, Applicability And Definitions Flashcards
Accusatory Instrument: Name Types and Plaintiff
Indictment,
indictment ordered reduced (210.20),
information,
simplified information, prosecutor’s information, superior court information, misdemeanor complaint or felony complaint.
Every accusatory instrument, regardless of the person designated therein as accuser, constitutes an accusation on behalf of the state as plaintiff and must be entitled “the people of the state of New York” against a designated person, known as the defendant; and
CPL 1.20.1(a)
Accusatory Instruments: Superior Court
Indictment; and
Superior Court Information (SCI)
CPL 1.20.3 and CPL 1.20.3-a
Accusatory Instruments: Local Criminal Court
Information,
simplified information, prosecutor’s information, misdemeanor complaint and felony complaint.
CPL 1.20.2
Local criminal court accusatory instrument
Any accusatory instrument other than an indictment or a superior court information.
VJC
Accusatory Instrument: Traffic
(b) An appearance ticket issued for a parking infraction when (i) such ticket is based on personal knowledge or information and belief of the police officer or other public servant who issues the ticket, (ii) the police officer or other public servant who issues such ticket ticket verifies that false statements made therein are punishable as a class A misdemeanor, (iii) the infraction or infractions contained therein are stated in detail and not in conclusory terms so as to provide the defendant with sufficient notice including, but not limited, to the applicable provision of law allegedly violated, and the date, time and particular place of the alleged infraction, and (iv) such ticket contains: (1) the license plate designation of the ticketed vehicle, (2) the license plate type of the ticketed vehicle, (3) the expiration of the ticketed vehicle’s registration, (4) the make or model of the ticketed vehicle, and (5) the body type of the ticketed vehicle, provided, however, that where the plate type or the expiration date are not shown on either the registration plates or sticker of a vehicle or where the registration sticker is covered, faded, defaced or mutilated so that it is unreadable, the plate type or the expiration date may be omitted, provided, further, however, that such condition must be so described and inserted on the instrument.
CPL 1.20.1(b)
Indictment
A written accusation by a grand jury, more fully defined and described in article two hundred, filed with a superior court, which charges one or more defendants with the commission of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a crime, and which serves as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.3
VJC: felony or misdemeanor
Superior court information
A written accusation by a district attorney more fully defined and described in articles one hundred ninety-five and two hundred, filed with a superior court pursuant to article one hundred ninety-five, which charges one or more defendants with commission of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a crime, and which serves as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.3-a
VJC: Crime = a misdemeanor or a felony,
Information
A verified written accusation by a person, more fully defined and described in article one hundred, filed with a local criminal court, which charges one or more defendants with the commission of one or more offenses, none of which is a felony, and which MAY serve BOTH to commence a criminal action and as the basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.4
Simplified information: Types
Traffic information
Parks information
Environmental conservation information
CPL 1.20.5(a)
Note there are two subdivisions 5 [5 and 5(a)-(d)]
Simplified traffic information
A written accusation, more fully defined and described in article one hundred, by a police officer or other public servant authorized by law to issue same, filed with a local criminal court, which, being in a brief or simplified form prescribed by the commissioner of motor vehicles, charges a person with one or more traffic infractions or misdemeanors relating to traffic, and which MAY serve BOTH to commence a criminal action for such offense and as the basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.5
Note there are two subdivisions 5 [5 and 5(a)-(d)]
Simplified traffic information
A written accusation by a police officer, or other public servant authorized by law to issue same, more fully defined and described in article one hundred, filed with a local criminal court, which, being in a brief or simplified form prescribed by the commissioner of motor vehicles, charges a person with one or more traffic infractions or misdemeanors relating to traffic, and MAY serve BOTH to commence a criminal action for such offense and as the basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.5(b)
Simplified parks information
A written accusation by a police officer or other public servant authorized by law to issue same, filed with a local criminal court, which, being in a brief or simplified form prescribed by the commissioner of parks and recreation, charges a person with one or more offenses, other than a felony, for which a uniform simplified parks information may be issued pursuant to the parks and recreation law and the navigation law, and which MAY serve BOTH to commence a criminal action for such offense and as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.5(c)
Simplified environmental conservation information
A written accusation by a police officer, or other public servant authorized by law to issue same, filed with a local criminal court, which being in a brief or simplified form prescribed by the commissioner of environmental conservation, charges a person with one or more offenses, other than a felony, for which a uniform simplified information may be issued pursuant to the environmental conservation law, and which MAY serve BOTH to commence a criminal action for such offense and as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.5(d)
Prosecutor’s information
A written accusation by a district attorney, more fully defined and described in article one hundred, filed with a local criminal court, which charges one or more defendants with the commission of one or more offenses, none of which is a felony, and which serves as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.6
VJC: But does not commence criminal action unless directed by grand jury in a case not previously commenced in a local criminal court.
Misdemeanor complaint
A VERIFIED written accusation by a PERSON, more fully defined and described in article one hundred, filed with a local criminal court, which charges one or more defendants with the commission of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a misdemeanor and none of which is a felony, and which serves to commence a criminal action but which MAY NOT, EXCEPT upon the defendant’s consent, serve as a basis for prosecution of the offenses charged therein.
CPL 1.20.7
Felony complaint
A VERIFIED written complaint by a PERSON, more fully described in article one hundred, filed with a local criminal court, which charges one or more defendants with the commission of one or more felonies and which serves to commence a criminal action but NOT as a basis for prosecution thereof.
CPL 1.20.8
Simplified information: form
Alternative to regular information
Brief or simplified form
Prescribed by commissioner of Motor vehicles, Parks or Environmental conservation.
CPL1.20.5(a)-(d)
Arraignment
The occasion upon which a defendant against whom an accusatory instrument has been filed appears before the court in which the criminal action is pending for the purpose of having such court acquire and exercise control over his person with respect to such accusatory instrument and of setting the course of further proceedings in the action.
CPL 1.20.9
Note: initial court appearance
VJC: The court in which the accusatory instrument has been filed.
Plea
Where appropriate, the occasion upon which a defendant enters such a plea to an accusatory instrument. See also 220.10 & 340.20
CPL 1.20.10
Trial: jury
Commences with the selection of the jury and includes all further proceedings through the rendition of a verdict
CPL 1.20.11
Trial: non-jury
Commences with the first opening address, if there be any, and, if not, when the first witness is sworn, and includes all further proceedings through the rendition of a verdict
CPL 1.20.11
Verdict
The announcement by a jury in the case of a jury trial, or by the court in the case of a non-jury trial, of its decision upon the defendant’s guilt or innocence of the charges submitted to or considered by it.
CPL 1.20.12
Conviction
The entry of a plea of guilty to, or a verdict of guilty upon, an accusatory instrument other than a felony complaint, or to one or more counts of such instrument
CPL 1.20.13
Sentence
The imposition and entry of sentence upon conviction
CPL 1.20.14
Judgment
A judgment is comprises of a conviction and the sentence imposed thereon and is completes by imposition and entry of the sentence
CPL 1.20.15
Conviction + Sentence
Criminal action
A criminal action
(a) commences with the filing of an accusatory instrument against a defendant in a criminal court, as specified in subdivision seventeen;
(b) includes the filing of all further accusatory instruments directly derived from the initial one, and all proceedings, orders and motions conducted or made by a criminal court in the course of disposing of any such accusatory instrument, or which, regardless of the court in which they occurred or were made, could properly be considered as a part of the record of the case by an appellate court upon an appeal from a judgment of conviction; and
(c) terminates with the imposition of sentence or some other final disposition in a criminal court of the last accusatory instrument files in the case
CPL1.20.16
VJC: (c) e.g. a dismissal