Arraign meaning

To arraign is to call a defendant before a criminal court, present the indictment (or charge) in open court and require the defendant to plead to each count. In England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, arraignment occurs in the Crown Court on an indictment, usually at the Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing. The indictment is put, the defendant pleads guilty or not guilty (or is treated as pleading not guilty if silent), and the court then lists for sentence or trial. The practice is rooted in common law and court rules rather than a single statutory definition. In Ireland, arraignment is likewise taken on indictment in the Circuit Criminal Court or Central Criminal Court, with pleas entered to each count in open court. In Scotland, the equivalent step is when the indictment is called and the accused is asked to plead at the first diet in the High Court of Justiciary or Sheriff Court. “Arraignment” is not the usual statutory term; procedure is governed by the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Key features: occurs in open court; identity and representation are confirmed; fitness to plead is addressed first; a guilty plea leads to sentencing, a not guilty plea triggers trial preparation...