What is a criminal appeal?

When a Mesa resident is arrested for the alleged commission of a crime there are a few different ways that their legal matter may move forward. If the prosecutor on their case decides that there is not any evidence connecting them to the matter then they may be released from their charges. If the prosecutor does decide to move forward with criminal charges the individual may decide to negotiate a plea deal on their case. If the individual wants to fight their charges in court then a trial date will be set to hear their matter.

At trial a criminal case can be dismissed or the defendant can be convicted. If the defendant is convicted they will receive a sentence which is effectively their punishment for being found guilty of their alleged crime. However, not all individuals who are convicted of crimes are willing to accept the outcomes of their cases and not all individuals should accept them. When a person wants to have a review of their trial or the terms of their sentencing then they may wish to pursue a criminal appeal.

A criminal appeal takes the individual’s legal matter up to an appellate court. The appellate court will not rehear the matter but rather will review the record of the lower court that ruled on the individual’s conviction. The appellate court will look for procedural mistakes, sentencing errors or other issues that may have resulted in an erroneous outcome for the individual.

If an appellate court agrees with an individual they will send the matter back to the trial court to manage the review of the matter. A criminal appeal can be an important step in protecting the rights of a person wrongly accused of a crime and those dealing with criminal convictions may wish to discuss their appeal options with their criminal defense legal representatives.