If a Plea Agreement that is beneficial, based upon the facts, has been accepted between the defense attorney with you and the prosecutor, then a Change of Plea (COP) will occur for a specific date. Then a "Pre-sentence Report" is ordered by the judge to get a background on a person to determine a sentence. Ariz.R.Crim.P., Rule 17.4.

If a Plea Agreement is not reached you can then have this case set for Jury Trial comprised of jurors from the community or a Bench Trial which would involve doing the trial to the judge.

Pre-Sentence Report:
After a Change of Plea or if there is a Guilty Verdict after trial, report to the Adult Probation Department to meet with a "Pre-Sentence Report" writer. The Pre-Sentence Report writer will interview you and decide what "sentence" to recommend to a judge so it is always important to treat the Pre-Sentence Report writer with respect.

Sentencing:
"Sentencing" will usually occur around a month after the Change of Plea or after a Guilty Verdict at trial. At this time, the "Pre-Sentence Report" will already have been prepared, and we will review that report with you. If it appears that the report is recommending a harsh sentence we can move for a "Mitigation Hearing" to be held about 30 days later to attempt to sway the judge to the lightest possible sentence within the applicable ranges.