Types Of Cases - Criminal

Members of the public may be interested in criminal cases because they are:

A victim of a crime: To report a crime, call 911 or if you are outside of Livingston County, or you have information about a crime, or need police assistance on a non-emergency basis, call (517) 546-9111. Victim’s Assistance provides ongoing services and support.
A citizen who received a letter about Jury Service (Duty.)
A defendant in a criminal case, or a family member of a defendant.

Defendants in criminal cases can be prepared for the following steps in their case:

Attorneys: Defendants can retain their own attorneys or, if eligible, obtain a Court Appointed attorney.

Probation: For all case types, Probation is a possible outcome. For misdemeanor cases, Probation is handled by District Court Probation, for felony cases, it is handled by Circuit Court Probation and for juvenile cases, it is handled by Juvenile Probation. For all criminal offenders assigned to Probation, there are specific terms that must be followed. If the terms are violated, the supervising Probation Officer may file a Probation Violation with the Court.

Drug Testing: Random drug or alcohol testing is a frequent term of probation. For many involved in Livingston County Courts, testing is conducted at DnA which is located at the Access Building near the Howell Judicial Center. It is important to get set up at DnA Drug and Alcohol Testing facility, or other location as ordered and to follow their procedures.

Resources: Defendants involved in criminal cases often need the help of community resources, either as part of fulfilling the terms of their Probation, or because they recognize they need the help. Livingston County has significant resources available.

Specialty Courts: Some defendants may be eligible to participate in Specialty Courts. Typically, these are defendants with substance abuse, mental illness, or co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness problems. Specialty Courts give participants a chance to have a multi-disciplinary team from the court and community resources plan their case and provide support for their success, while the Judge and team recognize their accomplishments and provide guidance when they have barriers, to support their successful completion of probation and future well being.

Special Programs: Some defendants may benefit from programs including Swift and Sure Sanctions, which can provide access to services and funding for substance abuse treatment and testing.