Connecticut Criminal Court Terms, in Plain English

Arrest paperwork and court dates come with their own vocabulary. These are the words you are most likely to meet in a Connecticut criminal case, each explained in a few sentences, with a link to the page on this site that covers the subject in full.

Release and bond

Bond: Also: bail; The security that lets a person leave custody while the case is pending, on the promise to come back to court. It is not a fine and not a finding of guilt. The police set an initial bond after the arrest, and a judge reviews it at the arraignment. Bond and bail mean the same thing in everyday use; the statutes say bond.; How bond is set and posted
Promise to appear: Also: PTA, written promise to appear, released on your own recognizance; Release with no money posted at all: you sign a written promise to come back on your court date. The police can release someone this way after booking, and a judge can do the same at the arraignment. Your arraignment date is printed on the paperwork you leave with.; The types of bond
Non-surety bond: A bond with a dollar amount set, but nothing paid unless the person misses court. It is a promise backed by an amount rather than money handed over. If the person attends every court date, nothing is ever owed.; The types of bond
Surety bond: A bond where the amount has to actually be secured before release. You either post the full amount with the court, which is returned at the end of the case if the person made every appearance, or pay a bail bondsman a fee to post it for you.; How a surety bond is posted
Cash bond: A bond that has to be posted in full, in cash, before release. A bail bondsman cannot post a cash bond: cash-only means exactly that. If the person attends every court date, the money is returned at the end of the case.; The types of bond
Bail bondsman premium: Also: bondsman fee, bail bond fee, bail bondsman; The fee a bail bondsman charges to post a bond for you: a percentage of the bond amount, at the rate the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner approves. You do not get it back, even if the case is dismissed the next day. A bondsman may also ask for collateral on a large bond, so ask for the current rate and get it in writing before you agree.; How a bail bondsman works
Bail commissioner: An official of the Judicial Branch's Court Support Services Division who may set or recommend bond before a judge is involved. Shortly after an arrest, a bail commissioner can interview the arrested person, look at things like employment and community ties, and weigh the risk of not appearing. That often happens within hours of the arrest, and the recommendation carries weight with the judge.; The bail commissioner
Bail commissioner's letter: A formal notice from the bail commissioner's office telling you that you missed a court date. It warns about the consequences of missing future court dates, which can include a new criminal charge for failure to appear. If you receive one, contact the court or an attorney promptly; do not ignore it.; What happens if the person misses court
Conditions of release: Also: release conditions; The rules you must follow while you are released before trial. After a family violence arrest the police can set conditions overnight, usually no contact and no return to the home, and they apply until the judge acts. At the arraignment the judge confirms or changes them.; What the judge does at arraignment
Failure to appear: Also: bond forfeiture, missed court date; Missing a court date. The court can issue a warrant for your arrest, any bond can be forfeited, meaning the money posted to secure release can be lost, and missing court is a separate crime in addition to the original charge. If you cannot make a date, talk to your attorney before it, not after.; What happens if the person misses court

Court basics

Geographical Area court: Also: GA, GA court; The Superior Court location where a criminal case starts. Each GA has a number and serves a list of towns, and your case goes to the GA for the town where you were arrested, not necessarily where you live. Paperwork may name it by number, such as GA 19, or by its courthouse, such as Rockville Superior Court.; Find the court for your town
Judicial District: Also: JD; A Connecticut court district that a Geographical Area court sits within; each court page on this site names its Judicial District. In some cities the Judicial District courthouse is a separate building from the GA, and in others the two share a building. For a new criminal case, go to the GA court for the town of arrest unless your paperwork says otherwise.; The court pages
Arraignment: Also: first court date; Your first court date after an arrest, and not a trial. The judge tells you the charges, advises you of your rights, and confirms or changes your release conditions, and you are usually not asked to enter a plea. In a family violence case it happens the next business day and the judge issues a protective order. Very few cases end here; most get a new date.; What happens at a Connecticut arraignment
Docket: Also: family violence docket; The court's list of cases to be heard, or a session of them, such as the morning arraignment docket. Family violence cases are tracked on a family violence docket of their own. Where the daily docket is posted, reading it when you arrive tells you which courtroom is yours.; How each court runs its docket
Continuance: Also: continued; Moving a case to a later court date. Most arraignments end with the case continued, and a typical case is continued several times, with dates spaced weeks apart, while the attorneys work. A slow case is normal. You usually still have to appear on every date unless your attorney arranges otherwise.; What to expect in a criminal case
Pretrial: Also: pretrial period, pretrial dates; The stretch of court dates between the arraignment and the end of the case, where most of a criminal case happens. During it your attorney obtains the police reports and evidence and talks with the prosecutor about where the case is headed. This is when a diversionary program is applied for and when most cases are resolved.; The pretrial period
Nolle: Also: nolled, nolle prosequi; The prosecutor's decision not to pursue a charge. A nolle is not a conviction, but a nolled case can be reopened for a time. The record of a nolled case is erased thirteen months after the nolle is entered, as long as the case is not reopened.; When a nolle is erased
Dismissal: Also: dismissed; The end of a charge without a conviction. It is how a completed diversionary program ends, and some cases are dismissed when the state cannot or decides not to proceed. A dismissed case is erased under Connecticut law, sooner than a nolle.; What clears and when
State's Attorney: Also: prosecutor, State's Attorney's office; The prosecutor, who brings the case for the State of Connecticut. The State's Attorney decides whether to go forward, can change the charges the police chose, and considers the other person's wishes without being bound by them. At court you or your attorney check in with the State's Attorney's office, not the clerk, so the prosecutor knows you are present.; Checking in at arraignment
Public defender: A defense lawyer for a person who cannot afford to hire one. You apply at the public defender's office inside the courthouse before your case is called, and eligibility depends on income.; Do you need a lawyer at the arraignment
Family Relations officer: Also: Family Relations; The court officer who interviews both people in a family violence case before the arraignment and recommends a level of protective order to the judge, who usually follows it. The officer works for the court and does not represent either side. Be brief and polite: you do not have to discuss the incident, and anything you say can be repeated in court.; How the protective order is decided
Probable cause: Reasonable grounds to believe a crime was committed and that this person committed it. It is the standard for an arrest, and if you are held, the judge reviews the arrest paperwork at the arraignment to confirm it. In a family violence case, an officer who finds probable cause of a crime must arrest, whether or not anyone wants it.; What happens when you are arrested

Orders

Criminal protective order: Also: protective order, partial protective order, residential stay-away order, full no-contact order; An order a criminal court judge issues against a person charged with a crime, almost always after a family violence arrest, to protect the alleged victim while the case is open. It comes at three levels: partial (no threats, harassment, or assault, but you may live at home and have contact), residential stay-away (you cannot enter the home, even if it is yours), and full no-contact (no contact at all, direct or through anyone else). It lasts for the life of the case, and to contest it you must ask for a hearing at the arraignment.; How criminal protective orders work
Civil restraining order: Also: restraining order; An order a person applies for on their own in family court. It is different from a criminal protective order, which a criminal court judge issues after an arrest and which the state, not the protected person, controls. The pages on this site are about the criminal order.; Criminal protective orders and civil restraining orders
Violation of a protective order: Also: violating a protective order; Breaking the terms of a criminal protective order, which is its own felony, charged and sentenced separately from the original case. Even a friendly text at the protected person's invitation can be a violation, because the order runs against you, not them. More minor cases turn serious this way than any other.; Violating a protective order

Diversionary programs

Accelerated Rehabilitation: Also: AR; Connecticut's general program for first-time defendants: complete a period of supervision with conditions the judge sets, and the charge is dismissed with no conviction. It is available for many misdemeanors and lower felonies, but not for Class A or Class B felonies. It can be used once in a lifetime, the victim has a right to be heard, and it is not the route for a DUI.; Connecticut diversionary programs
Pretrial Alcohol Education Program: Also: alcohol education program; The program written for a first DUI. After an evaluation you attend alcohol education classes or treatment, and the charge is dismissed on completion. The separate DMV license suspension still happens.; The DUI page and its eligibility rules
Family Violence Education Program: Also: FVEP; The program written for family violence cases: a set of classes, nine sessions for most participants, and the charge is dismissed if you complete them and comply with the protective order. Eligibility is limited by prior use, by a prior family violence conviction, and by the seriousness of the charge. It does not lift the protective order on its own.; How the program works
Drug Education and Community Service Program: The program written for drug possession and paraphernalia charges: education sessions or community service, with the charge dismissed on completion. Unlike most programs it can be used more than once, with escalating requirements. For a case driven by dependency, a court can instead suspend prosecution for treatment.; Diversion for drug charges
Supervised Diversionary Program: A program for people with psychiatric disabilities, including co-occurring substance use disorders, ending in dismissal after completion. It can fit a case that does not qualify for the more common programs.; Other diversionary programs

Charges and classifications

Misdemeanor: The less serious category of crime. Connecticut misdemeanors run from Class A, the most serious, through Class D, and the class sets the maximum jail term and fine. A misdemeanor is still a criminal charge with a court case, and a conviction stays on your record.; How penalties are set by class
Felony: The more serious category of crime. Connecticut sorts felonies into lettered classes from Class A, the most serious, through Class E, and the class sets the sentencing range; some felonies also carry mandatory time a judge cannot suspend. A felony conviction brings consequences beyond the sentence, including loss of the right to possess firearms and immigration consequences for non-citizens.; How penalties are set by class
Infraction, violation, and crime: Also: infraction, violation; A crime is a misdemeanor or a felony, and a conviction is a criminal record. An infraction is a lesser offense handled with a fine; for example, an adult with cannabis modestly over the legal limit commits an infraction on a first violation, with a fine and no criminal record. Connecticut also uses "violation" as an offense category below a crime, so ask a defense attorney how a specific charge on your paperwork is classified.; The cannabis rules
Larceny degrees: Also: larceny, shoplifting; Connecticut has one theft crime, larceny, divided into six degrees mostly by the dollar value of what was taken. Shoplifting is charged as larceny. The lower degrees are misdemeanors and the higher degrees are felonies, and some takings, such as taking from a person, jump degrees regardless of value.; The degrees by dollar amount
DUI and OUI: Also: DUI, OUI, operating under the influence; The same charge. The statute says operating under the influence, or OUI; DUI is the common name. A DUI arrest starts two separate cases at once, the criminal charge in court and a license suspension at the DMV, and the DMV case has a short deadline to request a hearing, generally seven days from the arrest.; Arrested for DUI in Connecticut
Family violence: Also: family violence designation, domestic violence; Not a crime of its own but a label that attaches to an ordinary charge, such as disorderly conduct or assault, when the other person is a family or household member. The label brings its own rules: the police must arrest on probable cause, court is the next business day, and the judge issues a criminal protective order. The sentence still follows the underlying charge, not the label.; Domestic violence arrests in Connecticut

Records and erasure

Erasure: Also: erased; Clearing a criminal record under Connecticut law: the records are destroyed or made confidential, and you may answer that you were never arrested for that matter. A case that ends without a conviction, by dismissal, nolle, or acquittal, is erased. Some older convictions are erased under the Clean Slate law, and an absolute pardon erases a conviction too.; Erasing a Connecticut criminal record
Clean Slate law: Also: Clean Slate; The Connecticut law that automatically erases certain older, low-level convictions after a waiting period without a new conviction. Serious felonies, sex offenses, and family violence crimes are excluded, and older convictions may need a petition. The state does not reliably tell people when a record is cleared, so request your own criminal history from the state police to check.; The Clean Slate law
Absolute pardon: Also: full pardon, pardon; A pardon from the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles that erases a conviction, the route for one Clean Slate does not reach. You apply after a waiting period once your sentence ends, and the Board reviews your record and what you have done since, sometimes at a hearing.; Pardons for everything else
Sealed versus erased: Also: sealed, sealed record; Two different things. Sealing keeps a record out of public view while the record still exists. Erasure is the stronger Connecticut remedy: the matter is treated as if the arrest never happened, and you may lawfully say you were never arrested for that matter. Most adult criminal-record relief in Connecticut is erasure.; How erasure works

Next step

If one of these terms is on paperwork from a Connecticut case that is still open, send the short form on this page and it will go to a defense attorney who practices in your court. If you or a family member is in custody, call (860)484-7979 instead.

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