From arrest to sentencing, here’s a general overview of what you can expect in an Illinois criminal case.

Pre-arrest. Sometimes a criminal case starts with an arrest. Other times, a victim or someone else calls the police to report a crime. If warranted, police detectives will investigate the crime. Once they have enough “probable cause” they can make an arrest. Having probable cause means that the police have a reasonable belief that a crime was committed.

Arrest. Sometimes, an arrest happens right away, such as when an officer sees the crime occurring and arrests the suspect on the…
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