The guide covers arrest, booking, complaint, arraignment, plea bargaining, preliminary hearings, holding a defendant on a misdemeanor charge, motions and discovery proceedings, the grand jury, the superior court, trials, sentencing, youthful offenders, and juvenile offenders. Offenses defined by New York State's Penal Law are listed. Time limitations in civil and criminal cases are discussed, and definitions of court personnel roles and criminal justice terms are presented. Appendixes contain diagrams of misdemeanor and felony case processing, instructions for citizen court monitors, and a sample criminal court monitoring form.