CRI

MINALPROCEDURE

Cr
iminalprocedur
eisthewayi nwhichsubstanti
velawisappl
ied.I
tisthewayuponwhi chthe
pr
osecutionconduct
sitscase,al
sot hewayinwhi cht
hecourt
shandl ecri
minalmatt
ersthatar
e
wi
thi
nt heirj
uri
sdi
cti
on.I
tisalsothemodal i
tyuponwhichcri
minalj
ust i
ceisputi
ntoeff
ect.
the
pr
oceduresforcri
minalmattersi
ncludingbel
ow

1.
ARREST:

Thefir
stst
epincr
iminal
procedur
eisf
ort
hedef
endantt
obear
rest
edbyt
hepol
i
ce.I
nNi
ger
ia,
thepoli
cemayarr
estaperson:

foramisdemeanorcr
imeift
hepoli
cehaveprobabl
ecauseandpersonal
lywi
tnessedt
hecr
ime
occuri
nfrontoft
hem ort
hepol
icehaveasignedarr
estwar
rantf
rom ajudge

forafel
onycri
meift
hepol
icehav
epr obablecauset
hattheper
soncommi
tt
edafel
ony,a
stat
ementfr
om someonewhowitnessedthefel
ony,
orthepoli
cehav
easi
gnedar
restwarr
ant
from aj
udge

Ift
hepoli
ceareclai
mingthattheyhaveanarrestwarrant
,thedefendantcandemandtobe
shownit
.Ifthepoli
cedonothav et
hewar r
antwiththem attheti
me, theycansti
ll
maket
he
arr
est
,buttheymustshowt hewarrantt
othedef endant"
assoonaspr act
icabl
e.

Ci
tat
ioni
nst
eadofAr
rest

Alternati
vely
,insteadofarrestthepol i
cemaychooset oissueaci t
ati
on(i.
e."noticetoappeari
n
cour t"
)ift
hepol icebel
iev
et heriskoft hedefendantnotshowi nguptocourtf orarr
aignment
(seenextsect ionbelow)islow.Theef fecti
sthesameasar rest
,butthedefendantdoesnot
hav etobehandcuf f
edandt akent ojailandinst
eadr emainsf reeaslongast heygot othei
r
arraignment.Ifthedefendantfailstoappeari ncourtfortheirscheduledarr
aignment ,t
hejudge
willmostl i
kelyissueanarrestwar rantandthepolicewi l
lthengoi ntothecommuni t
y,fi
ndthe
defendant ,
andt akethem intocustody .

Sear
chandSei
zur
e

Afterbei
ngar rest
ed, t
hedefendantmaybesear chedbythepolice.I
fthepoli
cewouldli
keto
searchaper sonort hei
rpr
opertybefor
emaki nganarrest
,theymusthav eprobabl
ecausetodo
soorasi gnedsear chwarr
antfrom ajudge.Asearchwarrantisdiff
erentf
rom anarr
estwar
rant
.

I
nter
rogat
ion

I
fthepoli
cewanttoi
nter
rogatet
hedefendant
,theymustfir
str
eadthei
rri
ght
swarni
ngtothe
def
endant,adv
isi
ngt
hem ofthei
rri
ght
s.Thedefendantdoesnothavet
oansweranyquest
ions
oft
hepol
i
ce.

2.
INVESTI
GATI
ON:

Criminalinvesti
gati
oni samul t
i-
facet
ed,problem- solvingchallenge.Arri
vingatthesceneofa
cri
me, anof fi
cerisoftenr equir
edtorapidlymakecr i
ti
caldecisions,somet i
mesinvolvi
ngli
fe
anddeat h,basedonl imi t
edi nf
ormati
oni nady nami cenvir
onmentofact i
v eandsti
llevol
vi
ng
events.Af t
eracr i
minal eventisover,
theinvestigat orisexpectedt opreservethecri
mescene,
coll
ecttheev idence,anddev i
seaninvesti
gati
v epl ant hatwil
lleadtot heformingofreasonabl
e
groundst oidentif
yandar restt
hepersonorper sonsr esponsibleforthecr i
me.

3.
CHARGES:

A‘Charge’i
sastat
ementofof f
enceinwhi
chaper sonisaccusedofbefor
eacourtofl
aw.i
tis,
t
herefore,
aformalall
egat
ionagai
nstapersonacharge/counti
susuall
ycont
ainedi
nthe
‘
chargesheet’
carr
yingtheheadi
ngofthecourt
,part
iesandsignat
ures.

Ev
ery‘
char
ge’
mustcont
ainorst
atet
hef
oll
owi
ng:

Thenameoft
heof
fender

Dat
eoft
heof
fencecompl
ainedof

Pl
aceoft
hecommi
ssi
onoft
heof
fence(
wit
hint
hej
uri
sdi
cti
onoft
hecour
t)

Theof
fencecommi
tt
edandabr
iefdescr
ipt
ionoft
heof
fence

Thenameoft
hev
ict
im(
s)

Thesecti
onoft
helawpr ov
idi
ngpuni
shmentandordef
ini
ngt
heof
fence(
thel
awagai
nstwhi
ch
theof
fencei
sinvi
olat
ion)

Thesi
gnat
ureoft
heappr
opr
iat
eaut
hor
it
y,whet
hert
hepol
i
ce,
legal
off
icer
,magi
str
ateet
c.

NOTE:

Theaccusedpersonmustbesuf fi
cientlydescri
bedbyname, designati
oordescri
pti
onasi s
neccessar
yt oi
dentif
yhim.147CPA, 202CPC.Thechar geneednotcont ai
ntheexactdateof
commi ssi
onofanof fence,i
tissuf
ficientifi
tisstat
edthatitwascommi t
ted‘onorabout’a
part
icul
ardateor‘somet i
me’inapar t
icularyear
.DURUv .POLICE.Thechar gemustclearl
yspell
outtheparti
cul
arsoft heoff
ence.Dependi ngonjuri
sdi
ction,t
he‘charge’maybecalled‘count
’
i
.e.undertheCPA
RULESOFDRAFTI
NGCHARGES

A.Rul
eagai
nstAMBI
GUI
TYwi
thNOEXCEPTI
ONS

Ever
ychargemustbeclearenoughtopr
ovi
det
heaccusedpersonwithsuf
fici
entpar
ti
cul
arsof
theoff
enceagai
nsthi
m.Thecount /
char
gemust
,ther
efor
e,contai
nthefol
l
owi ng:

a.t
henameoft
heof
fender

b.pl
aceofcommi
ssi
onoft
heof
fence

c.t
ime/
dat
eofcommi
ssi
onoft
heof
fence

d.t
heof
fencecommi
tt
ed

e.t
hel
awpr
ohi
bit
ingt
heactconst
it
uti
ngt
heof
fence(
thewr
it
tenl
awandsect
ion)

f
.wher
enecessar
y,t
hev
ict
im oft
heactconst
it
uti
ngt
heof
fence.

Ther
earenoexcepti
onstothisrul
e.Acountthati
sfoundt
obeambi guousnull
if
iesthewhol
e
char
ge.However
,foranysucherror
soromissioni
nthecounttobesuff
ici
enttonull
i
f yt
he
char
ge,i
tmustbeestabli
shedthatsucher
rororomissi
onMISLEDtheaccused.OGBOMORv .
STATE,166CPA,
222CPC

B.Rul
eagai
nstDUPLI
CITYwi
th5EXCEPTI
ONS.
Thi
srul
eonl
yappl
i
est
osi
ngul
arCOUNTS.

Thisrul
eonl
yappl
iestosingul
arCOUNTS.Gener
all
y,notmor
ethanoneof
fenceshal
lbe
contai
nedi
nasinglecount.AWOBUTUv.STATE

EXCEPTI
ONSt
othi
srul
ear
easf
oll
ows:

1.
Wher ei
trel
atestoGENERALDEFICI
ENCYOFMONEYormoniesmisappr
opr
iatedbyone
personatdi
ff
erentti
mes,suchsumscanbesummedupt
oget
heri
nonecount.152(2)
CPA,
203CPC,148(1)ACJL

2.Wheret
hesameof f
enceiscommitt
edsever
all
ywi t
hintheaSINGLETRANSACTIONe.g.
steal
i
ngfr
om di
ffer
entper
sonswit
hinthesametransacti
on,suchof
fencesmaybei
ncl
udedin
thesamecount
.

NOTE:
SAMETRANSACTI
ONpr
esupposest
hat

a.of
fenceswer
ecommi
tt
edwi
thi
nPROXI
MITYOFTI
ME,
or

b.t
heof
fenceswer
eaCONTI
NUI
TYOFACTI
ON;
or
c.off
enceswer
eforaCOMMONPURPOSE/DESI GN.ther
efor
e:t
heoffencesmustbeso
connect
edastofor
m samet
ransact
ion.LAWSONv.sTATE.Theoff
encesmusttheref
orebeso
connect
edastofor
m samet
ransact
ion.LAWSONv.STATE.

3.
wher
etheof
fencesar
eALTERNATI
VELYDEFI
NED,
all
maybei
ncl
udedi
nthesamecount
.

4.OVERTACTSwhi chont
hei
rownconst
it
utedif
fer
entoff
encesbutwhencombinedforms
anotherof
fencemaybesummedupinasingl
ecount.f
orinst
ance,
overtact
snecessar
yto
establ
isht
reason.

5.
STATUTORYEXCEPTI
ONSaspr
ovi
dedi
n2ndschedul
etoCPA,
appendi
xBorCPC

C.Rul
eagai
nstMI
SJOI
NDEROFOFFENCESwi
th5EXCEPTI
ONS.

Thisrequi
resthatof
fencesmustbecontai
nedinsepar
atechar
gesheet
s.i
not
herwor
ds,
one
charge/of
fencetoachargesheet
.156CPA,212CPC.

TheEXCEPTI
ONSt
othi
srul
eincl
ude:

1.
wheresever
al offenceswerecommi t
tedbythesameaccusedpersonwithi
naperiodof12
months,
anythree( 3)ofsuchoff
encesmaybei ncl
udedonthesamechar gesheetr
egardl
essof
whet
hersuchoff enceswerecommi t
tedwithi
nthesametransact
ionornot.

2.
wheredif
fer
entoffencesar
ecommi t
tedwit
hinSAMETRANSACTI ON,al
lsuchoff
encesmay
bechar
gedtogetherinonechar
gesheet.Unl
i
kethe1stexcept
ion,
ther
eisnoli
mittot
he
numberofoff
encesthatmaybecharged.

3.wherethecomplai
nedacti
spr ohi
bit
edbyseveralst
atutes/l
aws–whereanoff
enderis
chargedwithmorethanonecountprovidedf
orunderdiff
erentlaws,
thecour
tcanonlyconv
ict
theaccusedofoneofthecounts.ELLI
OTV.COP

4.
actswhencombinedconst
it
uteanoffencecanbechar
geddi
sti
nct
lyi
nthesamechar
gesheet
.
e.
g.sever
alov
ertact
swhichconsti
tut
etreason.

5.wheniti
snotcer
tai
nwhichpart
icul
arof
fencehasbeencommitt
ed,t
heaccusedmaybe
chargedwit
hdif
fer
entof
fencessolongasthefact
ssuppor
tthesai
doffences.

Beforeapersoni
sfoundgui
l
tyofacr
ime,
acr
imi
nal
char
gemustbepr
ovenbey
onda
reasonabl
edoubt
.

EFFECTOFBREACHOFTHERULESOFDRAFTI
NGCHARGES.

1.
AMBI
GUI
TY:
-
theeffectoft
her
ulei
stonot
if
ytheaccusedper
sonj
oft
heof
fencesandpar
ti
cul
arsofsuch
off
ences

-er
ror
sonthechargethatr
endersitambi
giouswoul
donl
ynul
l
ifyt
hepr
oceedi
ngsi
fitshownt
o
havemisl
edtheaccusedperson.OGBOMORv .STATE

-
obj
ect
iont
oanambi
giouschar
gemustbemadei
mmedi
atel
ythechar
gei
sreadt
otheaccused.

-
pleadi
ngt
oadef
ect
ivechar
gei
sasubmi
ssi
ont
othecour
t.OBAKPOLORv
.STATE

2.
DUPLI
CTY:

-
onceitcanbeshownthatt
hedefectoccassi
onedami
scar
ri
ageofj
ust
ice,
anyconv
ict
ion
woul
dbel i
abl
etobesetasi
de.AWOBUTUv .STATE

3.
MISJOI
NDEROFOFFENDERS:

-anaccusedper
sonwhofai
lstoappl
ytocourtt
oor
derseper
atet
ri
alsofaccusedper
sonswi
l
l
notbeheardtocompl
ainonappeal
.MAILAYI&ANOv.STATE

GENERALEFFECTS.

–anydefect
ivechar
genotammendeddur
ingt
hecourseoft
hetri
alandbeforejudgmentwi
l
lbe
consi
der
edimmat er
ial
unl
essi
tisshownt
ohavepr
ejudi
cedtheaccusedperson.

–therefor
e,oncepl
eadedto,anysuchdef
ect
sar
econsi
der
edt
ohav
ebeenwai
vedbyt
he
accused.OBAKPOLORv .STATE

–Adefect
ivechargemustt
her
efor
ebeammendedbef
orej
udgment
.fai
l
uret
osoammendi
s
t
reat
edasawai ver.

AMMENDMENTOFADEFECTI
VECHARGE.

–Thetri
albasedonadefecti
vechar
gei
snotr
ender
edv
oidunl
essi
tcanbeshownt
ohav
e
pr
ejudi
cedtheaccusedper
son.

–Thedefecti
vechargecanbeammendedatanyt
imebef
orej
udgmenti
.e.bef
orepl
eai
staken
andaf
terthepleai
staken.

–al
ter
ati
onhasar
etr
ospect
iveef
fect
.ATTAHv
.STATE
–Wher
ethepl
eahasnoty
etbeent
aken:

a.theconsentorl
eaveofcourti
snotneededi
nordert
oammendt
hechar
geexcepti
fthe
cri
minaltr
iali
sonetobeginbyinf
ormati
onasist
hecasef
orHi
ghCour
tsoft
heSouth

b.t
hecour
tisnotmandat
edt
oobser
vepostammendmentpr
ocedur
e.ATTAHv
.STATE

-
Wher
ethepl
eahasal
readybeent
aken:

GENERALRULE-onceapl
eahasbeent
akenonadef
ect
ivechar
ge,
iti
sconsi
der
edasawai
ver
ofanysuchdef
ect

EXCEPTI
ONS-1.
wher
eiti
sest
abl
i
shedt
hatt
hedef
ectmi
sledt
heaccusedper
son

2.
wher
ethedef
ectpr
ejudi
cedt
heaccusedper
sonl
eadi
ngt
othemi
scar
ri
ageofj
ust
ice

3.
wher
ethedef
ectaf
fect
sthej
uri
sdi
cti
onoft
hecour
t.

-
whereanaccusedper
sonhaspl
eadedt
oadef
ect
ivechar
ge,
itcanonl
ybeammendedwi
tht
he
l
eav
eofthecourt

-
theprosecut
ionmusttheref
oreappl
yforsuchl
eav
eei
theror
all
yint
hemagi
str
ates’
cour
torv
ia
moti
ononnot icei
ntheHighCourt

-
thecour
tmayammendadef
ect
ivechar
gesuo-
mot
oint
hef
oll
owi
ngi
nst
ances:

=amagi st
rat
einthenor
thwhodraf
tst
hechargemayammendsuomotoandmayeven
subst
it
uteordraf
tanewchargesol
ongastherear
efact
satt
hepr
e-t
ri
alst
aget
hatsuppor
tthe
newcharge.

=amagistr
atei
nthesouththatammendsadef ect
ivechar
gesuo-mot
ocannotexceedt
he
boundsoft
heoldchar
ge.thus,cannotdr
aftanent
ir
elynewchar
ge.

PROCEDUREUPONAMMENDMENTAFTERPLEA:
4STAGES

1.Endor
sementofanammendmentnote–theorderofammendmentshal
lbeendor
sedont
he
ammendedchargetobesubst
it
utedf
ortheor
igi
nalchar
ge.

2.Readi
ng+expl
anati
onoftheammendedcharge–t
henewchar
gemustber
eadov
ert
othe
accusedandaf
reshpl
eatakeninr
espectoft
henewchar
ge

3.Adjour
nmentwhererequested–thi
sisaconst
it
uti
onal
rightt
hati
sguar
ant
eedt
oent
it
lean
accusedtoadequat
efacil
i
tiestopr
epareadef
ence

4.Recallorcal
lofwi
tnesses–courtmustper mitanaccusedtorecal
lorcallnewwitnessesin
ref
erencet ot
heammendedchar ge,
itisalsothedutyofthecour
ttoinform anaccusedperson
notrepresent
edbycounseloft
heserights.ADISAv.AGWESTERNREGI ON
EFFECTSOFNON-
COMPLI
ANCEWI
THPROCEDURE

Fai
l
uret
ocompl
ywi
thpr
ocedur
erender
sthet
ri
alnul
landv
oid

Theappel
lat
ecourtmayhowev
eror
derar
e-t
ri
alwher
ether
eissuf
fi
cientandov
erwhel
ming
evi
denceatthet
ri
al.

4.
PRE-
TRI
ALCUSTODY

Uponar rest,t
hepoli
cewi l
ltakethedef endantt othelocal(
cityorcounty
)pre-tr
ialj
ail.Thi
s
dif
fersfrom stat
eprison.Prisonisfordefendant sthathavebeenconv i
ctedofacr imeaf tera
tr
ialandar enowserv i
ngtheirsentence.Aftertaki
ngt hedefendanttoj
ail
,thepolicemaydeci de
toreleasethedefendantwithanot ice-t
o-appearincour tf
ortheirar
rai
gnment .Thepol i
ce
cannotr el
easethedefendantonbai l
beforet hearrai
gnmentbecauset hejudgeisr equir
edt o
setthebai lamount.

5.
PLEABARGAI
N:

Whent
oMakeaPl
eaDeal

Inmostst ates,adefendantcanar rangeapl eabargai

nwithapr osecutoratanyti
medur ingthe
courseofacr iminalcase.Itcanbear rangedbeforetheprosecutorfi
lescharges,
oritcanbe
arr
angedaf terthejuryhasstarteddeliberat
ingonitsver
dictinacase.Apr osecutorevenmay
bewi l
l
ingtonegot iat
eapl eabar gainaft
eraconv i
cti
onifthedefendantappealstheconv i
cti
on,
andtheirargumentappear st ohav emer i
t.

I
mpactofGui
l
tyPl
easandNoCont
estPl
eas

Agui l
typl eaisanadmi ssionofgui l
t,whileanocont estpleameanst hatthedef endantisnot
contestingt hecharge.Ther esul
tislargelythesame, sincet hedef endantwi l
lhaveaconv icti
on
ont hei
rr ecordeitherway.Thedef endantwi ll
losethesameci vilri
ghtsast heywoul di
fajur y
conv i
ctedt hem ofthesamecr i
me.Somet imesitcanbeeasi ertoseal orexpungeacr iminal
recordaf terapleabargain.Themai nadv antageofnocont estpl easist hattheycannotbeused
againstthedef endantinar elat
edcivilcaseasanadmi ssi
onofl iabil
i
t y
.Forexampl e,i
na
personal inj
urycasebasedonadr unkdr i
v i
ngaccident,thepl ainti
ffcannotuset hedefendant ’
s
nocont estpl eaintherel
atedDUIcaset oshowt hattheywer edr i
vingdr unkatthet imeoft he
accident.

Ty
pesofPl
eaBar
gai
ns

Themaint
ypesofpl
eabargainsarechar
gebar
gainsandsent
encebargai
ns.Chargebargai
ning
i
nvol
vespl
eadi
nggui
ltyt
oal essseri
ouscri
methanthecr
imeori
ginal
l
ycharged.Sentence
bargaini
nginv
olv
espl
eadi
nggui
l
tyi
nexchangef
ort
hepr
osecut
orr
ecommendi
ngal
ower
sentence.

Anothert
ypeofbar
gaini
ngt hatmayari
sewhenthedefendanti
sfaci
ngmul
ti
plechargesis
knownascountbargai
ning.Thisi
nvol
vespl
eadi
ngguil
tytooneorsomeofthechargesin
exchangefort
hepr
osecutiondroppi
ngtheot
herchar
ges.

I
faggrav
atingfactor
swouldi
ncreasethesentence,thedefendantmayconductfactbargaini
ng
wit
htheprosecuti
on.Thi
smeanst hatthedef
endantpl eadsguil
tyi
nexchangeforastipulati
on
bythepr
osecutionthati
twi
ll
overlooktheaggravat
ingf act
orsduri
ngt
hesentencingprocess.

Wi
thdr
awi
ngaGui
l
tyPl
eai
naCr
imi
nal
LawCase

Somet imesadef endantmayacceptapl eabar gainandt henchanget hei

rmi nd, especi all
yif
theyrecei veahar shsentence.Theymaybeabl etowithdrawt heirguil
typlea, dependi ngont he
stateandt hest ageatwhi cht heydeci detowi t
hdr awit.Thisusual l
ymeanst hatt hecasewi llbe
resettot hestagebef oret hepl eabar gainwasr eached.Thepr osecutorandt hedef ensecan
negot i
ateanewpl ea,
ort hecasecanmov eforwar dtotr
ial.Somet i
mest hejudgewi lldismiss
thechar gesifthedef endantwi thdrawst heirpleabasedonnewev i
denceoft heirinnocence. Ifa
j
udgehasnoty etaccept edagui ltyplea,thedef endantli
kelycanwi t
hdrawt hepl ea.Theyal so
maybeabl etowi thdr
awapl eai fthej udgehasnoty etsent encedthem.Howev er,adef endant
mayf acedi ff
iculti
esinwi thdr awingapl eaoncet hejudgehassent encedt hem.Wi thdr awinga
pleaatt hisstagemayr equi r
eshowi ngt hatall
owi ngtheconv i
cti
ontost andwoul dr esultina
clearinj
ust i
ce.Aj udgemaydenyar equesttowi t
hdrawapl eaifi
twoul dhar mt hepr osecution’
s
abili
tytopr oveitscaseori fthedef endantagr eedt owaiv ether i
ghttoanappeal .

Fact
orst
oConsi
deri
nAl
l
owi
ngWi
thdr
awal

Judgesarel i
kel
ytoallowadef endanttowithdrawagui l
typl
eaiftheyasktowi t
hdrawitsoon
aft
erthepleawasmade.I fthedef endantdidnothav el
egalcounselwhentheymadet heplea,a
j
udgemayl ookmor efavorabl
yont hei
rrequest.Ajudgemustsetasideaguiltypleai
fthe
ci
rcumstancessuggestt hatthedef endantisinnocentordi
dnotunderstandtheconsequences
oftheguil
typlea.Thisistr
uer egardlessofwhet hert
hedefendantaskstowithdrawtheplea.

Reasonsf
orWi
thdr
awal

Manyoft hemostcommonr easonstowit

hdrawaguil
typl
eainvol
veincompetenceor
misconductbythedefendant’
slawyer
.Ift
helawy
er’
sineff
ect
iveassi
stancewast hereasonf
or
t
hegui l
typl
ea,ajudgegeneral
lywil
lall
owthedef
endanttowi
thdrawtheplea.Fai
lingto
i
nvesti
gateacase, f
ail
i
ngtointroduceexonerati
ngevidence,
orfai
li
ngtotel
lthedefendant
abouttheconsequencesofpleadingguil
tyar
ecommonexampl esofinef
fecti
veassistanceby
l
awy er
s.Enter
ingaguilt
ypleawi t
houtthedefendant’
sconsenti
salsoastrongreasont o
wit
hdrawt heplea.(
However,di
sappointmentwiththelawyer
’seff
ort
sdoesnotjustif
y
wit
hdrawingapl ea.
)

Anothersit
uationinwhi cht
hejudgemayal l
owadef endanttowi t
hdrawt hei
rpleaiswhent hey
werenotpsy chological
l
ycompet enttopleadguilt
y .Thi
smi ghti
nv ol
veament alheal
thconditi
on
orsubstanceabuse.Thedef endantalsomi ghtbeabl etowithdrawapl eaifthejudgeagrees
thatt
heyhav east rongcaseattri
alorifnewev idencesuppor t
st hei
rinnocence.Any
manipulat
ionoft hedefendantorthreat
sbyt hepr osecuti
onshoul dj
ustif
ywi thdr
awingtheplea.

I
ftherewer econstit
uti
onalprobl
emswi t
htheprocess,suchasift
hedefendantwasnotal
lowed
toexercisethei
rri
ghttocounsel,thejudgeprobabl
ywi l
lal
lowthedef
endanttowit
hdrawthe
gui
lt
ypl ea.Insomecases, whenaj udgegetsdeeplyi
nv ol
vedi
npleanegoti
ati
ons,t
heri
skof
i
mpr opriet
ymayj usti
fywit
hdrawingthepleaifthedefendantr
equest
s.

NoCont
estPl
eas,
Condi
ti
onal
Pleas,
andAl
for
dPl
easi
nCr
imi
nal
LawCases

Moreof tenthannot ,
adef endantwhoaccept sapleabar gai
nwi l
lpleadguil
tytoachar ge.
Howev er,therear ecertainot hert
ypesofpl easinthecr i
minaljusti
cesystem thatoffer
advantagesi nsomesi tuations.Perhapsthemostcommonal ter
nativei
sanocont est(nol
o
contendere)pl ea.Thiscanhel padefendantav oidcollat
eralconsequencesinaci vi
llawsuitt
hat
ari
sesf r
om t hesameev ent sasthecrimi
nal case.Ift
heyar echargedafteracaracci dentoran
assault
,forexampl e,t
hev icti
m oftheaccidentorassaul tmightbri
ngacl ai
mf orpersonal i
njur
y
damages.Thev ict
im coulduseagui lt
ypleaasev i
denceoft hedefendant’
sliabil
i
tyforthe
acci
dent ,buttheycoul dnotuseanocont estpleai nthesameway .Therearesomeexcept i
ons
i
nsomest ates,especiall
ywhent hedefendant ’
scrimewasaf elony.

Otherwise,anocontestpl
eaf unct
ionssi
mi l
arl
ytoagui l
typl
ea.Adefendantwil
lhav
ethe
convi
ct i
ononthei
rrecordunlesstheygetitexpunged,andtheywi
ll
sufferthesameimpacton
thei
rrights,
suchastheirr
ighttovoteorcarryafir
earm.

Condi
ti
onal
Pleas

Acondi
ti
onal
pleai
sat
ypeofgui
l
typl
eaornocont
estpl
ea.I
tal
l
owst
hedef
endantt
oappeal
a
certai
nissuei nthecasetoahi ghercourt,whichwil
l det
ermi newhetherthelowercour tmadea
mistake.Thedef endantwillbeabletowithdrawthegui l
tyornocont estpleaiftheappealscourt
agreest hatthetri
alj
udgewaswr ong.Youcanmakeacondi ti
onal
pleaonlywi t
ht heagreement
ofthepr osecuti
onandt hejudge,andy oushouldtrytogett hatagreementinwr it
ing.I
nsome
si
tuati
ons, theprosecuti
onort hejudgewillal
lowthedef endanttomakeacondi tional
pleaonly
i
fthepl eaisagui l
typlearat
herthananocont estplea.

Al
for
dPl
eas

Adef endantmaybeconf identi

ntheirinnocencebutf eelr
eluctanttotaketheriskofgoi ngto
tri
al.Theymaybeabl etomakeanAl fordplea,dependingont hestatewheretheylive.(The
namei sbasedonaU. S.Supr emeCour tdecisi
oninwhi chtheCour truledt
hatthistypeofpl ea
i
sconst it
uti
onal.
)AnAlfordpleaall
owsadef endanttopleadgui l
tywhilemaintaini
ngt heir
i
nnocence.Somest atesdonotal l
owAl f
ordpleasandr equireadefendanttopleadnotgui l
tyi
f
theyar easserti
ngthattheyareinnocent.Otherstatesall
owAl fordpleasinthecontextofno
cont estpleasbutnotguil
typleas.

6.
PRELI
MINARYEXAMI
NATI
ON:

Ift
hedef endantwaschar gedwithaf el
ony ,t
heyhav ear ighttoapr el
iminaryexaminat i
on.[17]I
f
thedefendantwaschar gedonlywi t
hami sdemeanor ,theyhav enor i
ghttoapr eli
mi nary
examinationbutmaymakeamot ion( i
.e.arequest)forone.Att hepr el
iminar
yexami nati
on,the
defendantandthecriminaldefenseat t
orneycanchal lenget helegali
tyofthearrest.For
example,theycanclaimthepol i
cedidnothav eprobablecauset oarrestt
hedef endant .I
f
successful,
thedefendantissetfree.

7.
ARRAI
GNMENT

Aft
erarr
esti
ngthedefendant
,thepol i
cearerequiredbylawtobri
ngthedefendantt
ocourt
wit
hin48hours(excl
udi
ngcour tholi
days)forthearrai
gnmentheari
ng.Thearr
aignmenti
sa
ver
yshortcour
theari
ng.Atthear r
aignment,thejudgewill

*Readwhatchargest heprosecuti
onhasf i
ledincourtagainstthedefendant(e.g."
Youhav e
beenchargedwithv i
olat
ionofSection243oft hePenalCode, Batter
y."
)Iftheprosecuti
on
deci
desnott ofi
lechargesagainstthedefendant,
thenthedef endantissetfree.Thejudgemay
askthedefendantiftheywaivethei
rrightt
oheart hecharges.Ifthedefendantagreestowaiv e
thei
rri
ghttohearthechar ges,
thejudgewon'treadwhatt hedef endanthasbeenchar gedwith.

*
Settheamountofmoneyr equir
edforbail
.Bypayi
ngthebail
bond,thedefendanti
srel
eased
f
rom j
ail
,andt
hecourtwil
leventuall
yprovi
dethebailmoneybacktothedefendantasl
ongas
t
heyconti
nuecomingtocourt.Bail
isrequi
redtoensuret
hedefendantwil
lcomebacktocourt
i
ft heyarer eleased.Whent hereiseit
herapublicsafetyri
sk( e.g.accusat i
onsofv iol
entcri
me)
orar i
skt hatt hedef endantwon' tshowupt ocour t(
e.g.thedef endanthasahi storyofnot
showi ngupt ocour t),t
hej udgewi l
ldenybail
andr equir
et hedef endantt ostayincustody.Bai
l i
s
i
nitial
lysetaccor di
ngt othebai lschedulebutcanbeadj usteddependi ngoni ndivi
dual
ci
rcumst ances, suchasi ncome.I tisalsopossibl
ethatthej udgewi l
lall
owt hedefendantto
l
eav ejail
wi thoutanybai l(i.
e."r
eleasedonrecognizance")ifthej udgehasst rongconf i
dencethe
defendantwi l
l showupt ocour tandhasnot hreattothelocal communi ty.Thejudgewi l
lal
so
considerift hedef endanthasanyl ocalti
estothecommuni ty.Fort hisreason,itmaybehel pf
ul
i
ft hedefendant '
sf amilyand/ orfr
iendsatt
endt hearrai
gnmentsot hejudgemayt aketheir
presencei ntoconsi der
ation.

*I
nformt hedefendantofthei
rri
ghts,i
ncludi
ngthei
rrighttoaCri
mi naldefenselawyer
.Ifthe
defendantcannotaffor
dtohireadefenseattor
ney,thejudgewil
lreferthedefendanttothe
publi
cdef ender
.Thepubli
cdefendersarecri
minaldefenselawy
erswhoar epaidbythestateof
Nigeri
a.

*
Askifthedefendantwouldl i
ketopl
eadgui
l
ty,
notgui
lt
y,ornocont
est
.Thedefendantcanask
t
oenteraplealatersothattheydon'
thav
etodeci
deri
ghtaway.Thedi
str
ictat
torneywil
l
f
requent
lyoff
erapl eabargain.

8.
PRE-
TRI
AL:

ORDER25-PRE-
TRI
ALCONFERENCESANDSCHEDULI
NG

1.(1)Wit
hin14daysaft
ercl
oseofpl
eadi
ngs,
thecl
aimantshal
lappl
yfort
hei
ssuanceofapr
e-
tr
ialconf
erenceNot
ice,
Form 17.

(2)Uponappli
cati
onbyaclaimantundersub-rul
e1abov e,t
heJudgeshal l
causetobeissuedt
o
thepart
iesandthei
rLegalPract
iti
oners(
ifany)apre-
tr
ialconf
erencenoti
ceasinForm 17
accompaniedbyapre-t
ri
alinfor
mat i
onsheetasinForm 18forthepurposessetouther
eunder
:

(
a)di
sposal
ofmat
ter
swhi
chmustorcanbedeal
twi
thoni
nter
locut
oryappl
i
cat
ion;

(
b)gi
vi
ngsuchdirect
ionsast
othefutur
ecourseoft
heact
ionasappearbestadapt
edt
osecur
e
i
tsj
ust
,expedi
ti
ousandeconomical
disposal
;

(
c)pr
omot
ingami
cabl
eset
tl
ementoft
hecaseoradopt
ionofal
ter
nat
ivedi
sput
eresol
uti
on.

(3)Ift
heclai
mantdoesnotmaketheappl
icat
ioni
naccor
dancewit
hsub-
rul
e1oft
hisr
ule,
the
defendant
(s)maydosoorappl
yforanordertodi
smisst
heacti
on.

2.(
1)Par
ti
esshal
lbepr
esentatt
hepr
e-t
ri
alconf
erence,
unl
esst
heJudgegr
ant
sleav
etot
he
cont
rar
y.

(
2)Att
hepr
e-t
ri
alconf
erence,
theJudgeshal
lent
eraschedul
i
ngOr
derf
or:

(
a)j
oini
ngot
herpar
ti
es;

(
b)amendi
ngpl
eadi
ngsoranyot
herpr
ocesses;

(
c)f
il
ingmot
ions;
fur
therpr
e-t
ri
alconf
erences;

(
d)anyot
hermat
ter
sappr
opr
iat
eint
heci
rcumst
ancesoft
hecase.

3.Atthepr
e-tr
ial
confer
ence,t
heJudgeshal
lconsi
derandt
akeappr
opri
ateact
ionwi
thr
espect
tosuchofthefol
lowi
ng(oraspect
softhem)asmaybenecessar
yordesi
rabl
e.

(
a)f
ormul
ati
onandset
tl
ementofi
ssues;

(
b)amendment
sandf
urt
herandbet
terpar
ti
cul
ars;

(
c)t
headmi
ssi
onsoff
act
s,andot
herev
idencebyconsentoft
hepar
ti
es;

(
d)cont
rol
andschedul
i
ngofdi
scov
ery
,inspect
ionandpr
oduct
ionofdocument
s;

(e)nar
rowi
ngthef
iel
dofdisput
ebetweenexper
twi
tnesses,
byt
hei
rpar
ti
cipat
ionatPr
e-t
ri
al
confer
enceori
nanyothermanner
;

(
f)hear
inganddet
ermi
nat
ionofobj
ect
ionsonpoi
ntofl
aw;

(
g)giv
ingorder
sordirect
ionsforseparat
et r
ial
ofaclai
m,count
ercl
aim,
set
-of
f,cr
oss-
clai
m or
t
hir
dpartycl
aim orofanypart
icul
arissueinthecase;

(
h)set
tl
ementofi
ssues,
inqui
ri
esandaccount
sunderOr
der27;

(
i)secur
ingst
atementofspeci
alcaseofl
aworf
act
sunder

(
j)det
ermi
ningt
hef
orm andsubst
anceoft
hepr
e-t
ri
alor
der
;

(
k)suchot
hermat
ter
sasmayf
aci
l
itat
ethej
ustandspeedydi
sposal
oft
heact
ion.

4.Pre-tr
ialconf erenceorser i
esofpr
e-tr
ial
conf
erenceswithrespecttoanycaseshal lbe
compl et
edwi t
hi n3mont hsofi t
scommencement ,andtheparti
esandt hei
rLegalPracti
ti
oners
shal
l co-operatewi ththeJudgei nworki
ngwit
hinthisti
metable.Asfaraspracti
cable,pr
e-t
ri
al
conferencesshal lbeheldfrom dayt
odayoradjournedonlyforpurposesofcompl i
ancewith
pre-
trial
conf erenceor ders.
5.Af
terapre-
tr
ialconf
erenceorseri
esofpre-t
ri
alconf
erences,theJudgeshal
li
ssueareport
.
Thi
sReportshall
guidethesubsequentcour
seoftheproceedingsunlessmodi
fiedatt
hetr
ial
.

(
2)Thepre-
tr
ial
confer
enceJudgeshal
lal
sobethet
ri
alJudgeunl
esseit
heroft
hepar
ti
esappl
y,
wi
thgoodcausethatt
hecasebetr
ansfer
redt
oanot
herJudgefort
ri
al.

6.Ifapart
yand/orhisLegalPract
it
ionerf
ail
stoatt
endthepr
e-t
ri
alconferenceorobeya
schedul
ingorpre-t
ri
alorderori
ssubstant
ial
lyunpr
epar
edtopart
ici
pateintheconfer
enceor
fai
lstopart
ici
pateingoodfait
htheJudgeshall:

(
a)i
nthecaseoft
hecl
aimantst
ri
keoutt
hecl
aim;

(
b)i
nthecaseofadef
endantent
erj
udgmentagai
nsthi
m.

Anydecisiongivenunderthi
sr ulemaybesetasideuponanappl
icat
ionmadewithi
n7day sof
thedeci
sionorsuchot herperiodasthepre-
tr
ial
Judgemayallownotexceedi
ngthepre-
tr
ial
confer
enceper i
od.Theapplicati
onshall
beaccompaniedbyanundertaki
ngtopart
ici
pat
e
eff
ecti
velyinthepre-
tri
alconference.

7.TheJudgeshalldi
rectthepr
e-t
rialconfer
encewithdueregardto,i
tspurposesandagendaas
provi
dedunderthi
sOr der
,andshallrequi
reparti
esorthei
rLegalPract
it
ionerstoco-
oper
ate
withhi
m eff
ecti
vel
yindeal i
ngwit
ht heconferenceagenda

9.
DISCOVERY:

Discoveryistheprocessofexchangi ngdocument sbetweent heprosecutionandtheDef ense

Attor
neyt hatmaycont ai
nev i
dence.InNigeri
a,theprosecuti
onisrequiredt otur
nov er
everyt
hingtheyplantopr esentattr
ialatl
east30day saheadoft i
me,aswel l
asanyev i
dence
thatmighthelptheDef endantshowt hattheyareinnocent(seeBradydi sclosur
e).
TheDef ense
Attor
neyi snotrequi
redt ogivei
ncri
mi nat
ingev i
dencetot heprosecuti
on, butmustalsoturn
overwhat evert
heyplant opresentattri
alatleast30day saheadoft i
me.

Sel
f-
Repr
esent
ati
on

Adef endantmaychooset
oactasthei
rownatt
orney.Thisshoul
dbedoneasearl
yaspossi
ble
becausemaki ngsuchamoti
oncl
osetothet
ri
aldategiv
escausef ort
hej
udget
odenythe
motion.

8.TRI
AL:

Si
ncet heDefendantisassumedi
nnocentunt
ilprov
enguil
ty,
theprosecut
orhastheburdenof
pr
ovingtheircase,sotheymaket
hefir
stopeningstat
ementthatsummarizest
heev i
dencethey
wi
llpresentattri
al.Theysummar
izet
heirpoi
ntofviewofwhathappenedandwhyt heybeli
eve
thejuryshoul
dfindthedefendantt
obeguilt
yofthecri
meschar
ged.TheDefenseAt
tor
neycan
thenmaket hei
ropeningstatement
,orchooset
or eser
vet
hei
ropeni
ngstat
ementunti
lthe
prosecutorr
eststhei
rcase.

Pr
osecut
ion'
sCase

Thepr osecut
orcall
sallthewitnessesonebyone.Wi tnessesarenotal
lowedt osi
tinthe
courtr
oom, andmustwai toutsideuntil
theyarecal
ledtotesti
fyonthestand.Eachti
met he
prosecutorcal
lsawitnessforDi r
ectexaminati
on,t
heDef enseAtt
orneyisall
owedtoask
questi
onsaswel lofthesamewi tnessaspartofCross-
examinati
on.

Aftertheprosecutorhascal l
edal lt
heirwitnessesandpr esentedalloftheirevidence,the
prosecutorcounselannouncest heyr estt
heircase.Thi smeanst heyar efini
shedexplaini
ng
whyt heythi
nkt hedef endanti
sgui l
ty.Thepr osecutionmustpr ovetheircasebey ond
reasonabledoubt.Thismeanst heev i
dencemustbesoconv i
ncingthatt hereisnodoubtl efti
n
themi ndsofthejuryt hatthedefendantisgui l
tyandt hattheonl ywayf orthem todoubtt he
evidenceistomake" unreasonable"assumpt ions.(i
.e.may beal i
ensfrom Mar sputt hemur der
weaponi nthedef endant'scar.
)Itisthehighestst andardofpr oofusedi nAmer i
canlaw.

Def
ense'
sCase

TheDef enseAt torneythencal lsallofthei

rwi t
nesses.TheDef enseAt t
orneycancal lnew
witnessesaswel laswi t
nessest hatthepr osecutorcal l
ed.Af tertheDef enseAt t
orneyasks
questionst othewi t
nessaspar tofDirectexami nation, t
hepr osecutorcanal soaskt hem
questionsaspar tofCr oss-exami nati
on.TheDef enseAt torney '
sstrategywillbeeitherto
under minethepr osecutor'
sclaims( i.
e.sayt hatthepr osecutorhasf ail
edtopr ovetheircaseby
pokinghol esintheirtheoryandunder miningthecr edibil
it
yoft hewitnessesandev i
dence)orto
presentan" affi
rmativedefense"( i.
e.activ
elyprov etheDef endanti sinnocentbyi ntroduci
ng
theirownev i
dence,suchasav i
deoshowi ngtheDef endantwasoutoft ownwhent hecrime
happened. )TheDef enseAt torneycouldal sodobot h.

Cl
osi
ngSt
atement
s

Eachsidet
hensummar
izeswhathappeneddur
ingt
het
ri
alandt
hei
rfi
nal
thought
sast
owhy
thej
uryshoul
dvot
egui
l
tyornotguil
ty.

Jur
yDel
i
ber
ati
on
Thejur
yissenti
ntoapri
vat
eroom wher
etheydel
i
ber
ate.Al
l12j
uror
smustv
otegui
l
tyi
nor
der
toconvi
ctt
hedefendant
.

Ver
dict

Aft
erthej
uryr
eachesav
erdi
ct,
theyr
etur
ntot
hecour
troom andt
hecour
tcl
erkannouncest
he
ver
dict
.

9.SENTENCI
NG

Ift
heverdi
cti
sgui
lt
y,t
hejudgegi
vesthesentencef
ort
hecr
ime.Cr
imi
nal
sent
encescani
ncl
ude
anyofthefol
l
owi
ng,dependi
ngonthepart
icul
arcri
me:

*
Fine

*
Rest
it
uti
on

*
Rest
rai
ningOr
der

*
Impr
isonment

*
Deat
h

THI
NGSTOKNOW

Wher et
heProsecut
ionf
ail
stoprosecutet
hetri
alwi
thint
heti
meframel
aiddown,
apr
oper
appl
icat
ionmaybemadet odi
schargetheaccusedMISCOFFENCESTRI
BUNALVOKOROAFOR
200191LRCN3120.

WHENI
TCOMMENCES:

I
tcommenceswhenanaccusedi
sar
rai
gnedonachargeori
nfor
mat
ion-OYEDIRANV
REPUBLI
C19664NSCCC252at255;ASAKI
TIPIVSTATE19935NWLRPt .296641at652;

FAWEHI
NMIV I
.A.
P.200298LRCN1165.

BURDENOFPROOF-FAI
LUREOFPROSECUTI
ONTOCALLMATERI
ALWI
TNESS:
Thebur
denisont
heprosecut
iont
opr
ovet
hecasebey
ondr
easonabl
edoubt-STATEVAHI
E
200080LRCN2513;

ASARI
YUVSTATE19874NWLRPt
.67709;
OMOGODOVSTATE19815S.
C.5at21.

TRI
ALLANGUAGE-DUTYOFACCUSEDORHI
SCOUNSEL:

Iti
sthei
rdutytoinf
ormthecourtt
hathedoesnotunder
standt
hel
anguageoft
het
ri
al.
Other
wise,hecannotcompl
ain-MADUVSTATE199746LRCN158; 19971NWLRPt.482306
at402;19971SCNJ44at54.

CRI
MINALPROCEDURERECORDTHATCHARGEWASREADANDFULLYEXPAI
NEDTO
ACCUSED

Fai
l
ureoft
het
ri
alcour
ttor
ecor
dsamei
snotf
atal
because200082LRCN3071at3077.

I
NITI
ATI
NGACHARGEFI
LINGOFI
NFORMATI
ON:

Theappli
cat
ionwhi
chi
smadeex-
part
ymustbesuppor
tedwi
thf
act
stosust
ainapri
maf aci
e
case-I
KOMIVSTATE19863NCR,ALR341;
OKOLIVSTATE19926NWLRPt .247381;
ABACHAVSTATE2002100LRCN1588.

I
NFORMATI
ONAPPLI
CATI
ONTOQUASH-CONDI
TIONS-

Wherenopr
imaf
aci
ecasei
smadeout
,theI
nfor
mat
ioncanbequashed-ABACHAVSTATE
supr
a.

CHARGES-MISJOI
NDER-ACCESSORYAFTERTHEFACTOFANOFFENCE-ABACHAVSTATE
2002supr
a.

CHARGEREADTOACCUSED&EXPLAI NED-S.215C.P.A-Fail
uret
orecor
dthefactt
hatt
he
char
gewasreadandexpl
ainedt
otheaccusedi
snotfatal
-EYISIVSTATE200015NWLRPL.
691,555;
DUROWODEVSTATE200015NWLRPt .691467;AKPANVSTATE20021000LRCN
1744.

PROOF-DOUBTS-Wher eanaccusedi
sjoi
ntl
ytri
edwi t
hanotherorot
hersandthei
rcasei
s
i
nter
woven,
theconv
ict
ionofonecannotst
andwher etheot
her(s)wasacqui
tt
edand
di
schar
ged-ABUDUVSTATE19851NWLRPt .1.55;KALUVSTATE19884NWLRPt .90,
503;
AKPANVSTATE2002100LRCN1744.

TRIALWI
THINTRIAL-Theonusi
sonthepr
osecut
ionshoul
dtest
if
yfi
rst-EMEKAVSTATE
200188LRCN2343;AUTAVSTATE19754S.C125.

CRIMI
NALPROCEDURES.
215C.
P.L.Fai
l
uret
ocompl
ywi
thS.
215C.
P.Lr
ender
sthet
ri
alanul
l
ity
-YAHAHAVSTATE200294LRCN106.

PLEAOFGUI
LTY-Di
schar
gest
hebur
denofpr
oofont
hepr
osecut
ionRVWI
LSON19594FSC
175;
DONGTOEVCSC200186LRCN1204.

VALI
DPLEA-S.
215&215CPA--MANDATORY-TOBBYVSTATE200186LRCN1387.

PLEA-NOTPROPERLYTAKEN-S.
215CPA-S.
36(
6)a1999CONSTI
TUTI
ON-Tr
ial
isanul
l
ity-
RUFAIVSTATE200189LRCN.

ARRANGEMENT-ESSENTI
ALSOFVALI
DITY-ADENI
JIVSTATE200187LRCN1970

CHARGENEEDTOEXPLAINI
NLANGUAGEOFACCUSED-WheretheAccusedunder
stands
Engl
i
sh,
noneedt
orecor
dexpl
anat
ionofchar
get
ohi
m -ADENI
JIVSTATEsupraP.1973-74.

CRIMINALAPPEAL-OMNI BUSGROUNDDEFECTIVE-Theomnibusgroundshouldnotcarr
ythe
phrase"
weightofev
idence".I
ftheomni
busgr
oundi
sdefect
ive,
theaddit
ional
grandscannot
standonit-ADI
OVSTATE19564SC194at203-204.

CRI
MINALAPPEAL-OMNI
BUSGROUNDWHENI
TCANBEURGED

-Wher
ether
eisnoev
idenceatal
lorwher
etheev
idencei
sincapabl
eofbel
i
ef

-NUMAALLIVSTATE19881S.
C35at55.

SOLEWI
TNESSPROSECUTOR
ODUNEYEVSTATEi
satt
heDI
SCRETI
ONOFt
hepr
osecut
or

WRI
TTENBYFELI
XCHI
BUI
KE(
UNI
CAL)

07089621300