Legal Process and Definitions

The criminal process can be complicated and difficult to understand or follow.  The lawyers and judges use terms that may sometimes feel unfamiliar and the steps that a case takes are not intuitive.  To help the community understand some of what is happening in court, the Shiawassee County Prosecutor has developed the two helpful tools below.  Click on the link to read about the criminal process or to find the definition of a criminal law term.

Criminal Case Process

This outline highlights the steps in the process that a criminal case typically follows in Shiawassee County.

Process of a Criminal Case

Legal Terms and Definitions

The terms and definitions included on this page are relevant to criminal cases in the State of Michigan as particularly used in Shiawassee County.  If you hear something in court that you don't quite understand, hopefully it is included on this list of definitions.

Legal Words and Phrases Defined