Riverside Criminal Lawyer at Shouse Law Group

Our experienced Riverside criminal defense attorneys represent people charged with felony, misdemeanor, and infraction charges throughout Riverside County. Our Riverside office is located at:

4480 Main St.
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 734-1600

The Riverside Police typically book arrestees at the Robert Presley Detention Center (Riverside County Jail), located at:

4000 Orange St
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 955-4500

People can search for inmate information here.

Riverside criminal cases are heard in the Riverside Hall of Justice, located at:

4100 Main St
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 777-3147

Other nearby courts our attorneys appear at include the Banning Justice Center, Blythe Courthouse, Larson Justice Center, and the Southwest Justice Center. Defendants can find their case information online here.

Criminal court process

Criminal cases usually begin with someone being arrested. Unless the alleged crime was extremely serious – or the defendant is a flight risk or threat to public safety – the jail will usually release the defendant on bail or his/her own recognizance.

After some arrests, the D.A. will determine there is insufficient evidence to prosecute. In these cases, the defendant is free to petition for a seal of the arrest records once the applicable statute of limitations passes.

In most cases, the D.A. will press formal charges. Then the defendant is required to appear at his/her arraignment, which is a short court hearing where the judge reads the charges. Depending on the case, defendants can skip this hearing as long as they hire their own attorney to show up in their place.

Defendants who miss their court appearances will have a bench warrant issued for their arrest. This means they can get arrested at any time (which typically happens during traffic stops). And the only way the judge will recall the warrant is if the defendant files a “motion to quash” the warrant and appears at a court hearing. Sometimes, the defendant’s attorney can appear in his/her place during this court hearing.

Once the defendant is formally charged, the defense attorney and prosecutor try to negotiate a deal. Neither side wants to go to trial, and prosecutors may be willing to substantially reduce the charges – or even dismiss them – as part of a plea bargain.

Should the defendant get convicted of a crime – either by entering a guilty plea or being found guilty at trial – the judge will then impose a criminal sentence. Depending on the circumstances, the defendant may be eligible to avoid jail by going on probation.