Adding Criminal Law and Procedure to Your Fiction

Part III: The Courtroom—Guilty Plea and Trial Part I and Part II of this series explore police procedure and constitutional rights during the investigation phase. Now, on to the really fun part! The courtroom. Writers: Your fictional perp is caught and indicted. It’s time to deal or go to trial. Arraignment and Bail Hearing First stop, arraignment on the indictment. […]

Adding Criminal Law and Procedure to Your Fiction

Part II: Stop & Frisk, Arrest, Identification Procedures, Indictment Last week in Part I: Search and Seizure, I asked (and mostly didn’t answer) the question of whether you should worry about getting the law right in your stories and novels. It’s up to you—after all, we’re writing fiction! For the sake of realism, if you want your fictional perp to end

Adding Criminal Law and Procedure to Your Fiction

Part I: Search and Seizure For my novels about a female prosecutor, much of the “legal research” is in my head from a career in criminal justice and the court system. Police work and courtroom drama are great for building suspense. I also strive for accuracy under the law. Authors: Should you be concerned with accuracy? After all, you’re writing

Scroll to Top