The introduction describes the Fund for Modern Courts, Inc., a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to court reform, along with the citizen participation project which it sponsors. The goals of the project included collecting and evaluating data pertaining to the quality of juvenile and criminal justice, providing recommendations for upgrading the current system, and educating citizens about the criminal court and family court in their local areas. A list of offenses which violate New York State laws is intended to help court observers translate the penal law sections heard in court to the actual crimes with which a defendant is being charged. A description of the criminal justice process from arrest through sentencing includes booking, complaint, arraignment, plea bargaining, preliminary hearing, motions and discovery proceedings, grand jury, superior court, trials, youthful offender, and juvenile offender. In addition, standards and goals for the disposition of criminal cases are discussed, followed by a section that lists and briefly describes court personnel and related agencies. A glossary of court terminology is provided in the concluding section. Appended are a bibliography of 14 listings, the New York State judicial system criminal appeals structure, New York sentencing charts, and instructions for monitors.