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Felony
In Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires the states to provide defense attorneys to criminal defendants charged with serious offenses who cannot afford lawyers themselves. In Arizona, the Court makes the determination of indigency and orders appointment of counsel. The office is not permitted to take private clients or assume representation of a client without appointment by the Court.
In Arizona, a felony is an offense that has a potential punishment of one year or more in the Arizona Department of Corrections (prison).
Dependency
Juvenile Dependency Proceedings are proceedings in which the State of Arizona, or a private individual, seeks the assistance of the Juvenile Court to determine if a child is dependent upon the State for parental care.
Dependent Child
A "dependent child" is a child who is in need of proper and effective parental care and control and has no parent or guardian who is willing or capable of exercising that care and control.
A dependent child could also be a child who is destitute, or who is not provided with the necessities of life, including adequate food, clothing, shelter or medical care, or where the home is "unfit" by reason of abuse, neglect, cruelty or depravity by a parent, guardian or other person having care or custody of the child.
Appeals & Post-Conviction Relief (PCR)
Direct AppealIf you are convicted after a trial and wish to appeal your conviction and/or sentence, you have the right to file an appeal.
Discuss this with your attorney prior to and immediately after sentencing. If you decide to appeal your conviction and/or sentence, the notice of appeal must be filed within 20 days of your sentencing date.
PCR
If you are convicted pursuant to a plea agreement, your only opportunity to have your case reviewed by a court is through a Rule 32 PCR. You must file your notice of post-conviction relief within 90 days of your sentencing date.
Capital PCR
The most serious sentence a convicted person can receive in Arizona is the death penalty. The termination of a person's life cannot be taken lightly; therefore Arizona has established a number of procedures to ensure a person did not wrongfully receive a death sentence. One of the procedures is post-conviction relief.
Sexually Violent
A sexually violent person is one who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and has been determined to be likely to commit future acts of sexual violence due to a mental disorder.
A sexually violent person is one who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and has been determined to be likely to commit future acts of sexual violence due to a mental disorder.