10/09/2026
An arraignment isn't just another court date, and treating it as one can cost a person options that are difficult to recover. It's usually the first appearance before a judge, often within about 24 hours of an arrest, and it's where the charges are read, a plea is entered, and the judge decides whether someone goes home. Release on recognizance, supervised release, bail, bond, and remand are all in play at that hearing.
Those arguments only work if someone has prepared them. Community ties, steady employment, family support, and the absence of a prior record all carry weight with a judge, but only when counsel has gathered that information in advance and can present it. A family member who gets a late-night call about an arrest usually has no idea what the first appearance involves, and that's the point at which a criminal defense attorney should already be involved. Glenn F. Hardy handles arraignments and bail hearings throughout New York City and the surrounding counties.
Read what the process involves at hardylawnyc.com/arrested-in-new-york.
