Legal Question in Criminal Law in Alabama

Re: Court Verdicts/ Public Record?

If you are being told that her case is being "bound over from court session to court session" what this means is this: She has been arrested and charged with possession of controlled substance. When he has his evidence together, the local district attorney will present her case to a grand jury (not the same thing as a petit jury that hears a case at trial). That grand jury will return an indictment, just a formal charge of the felony. When you hear "bound over", that means the case has probably been before a district judge at a preliminary hearing and he "bound over" her case for consideration by a grand jury. The delay is due to the fact that analysis of drugs by the state laboratories takes several months. Once the results are back, the case will be presented to the grand jury, who will return an indictment and then the case will proceed (how fast will depend on the county) in circuit court. Whose case is being presented to the grand jury is not a matter of public record and you don't have a right to know that. But, once she is indicted, it will be a matter of public record and you can contact the Circuit Clerk in that county to find out information about her case.

A final thought--felony offenses are a good ground for changes in a child's custodial arrangement, especially if the parent is incarcerated.