A Brief Overview of the Criminal Court
System
Criminal cases are classified as either
misdemeanors or felonies. Misdemeanors are under the
jurisdiction of County Court. Defendants sentenced for
misdemeanor crimes may be fined, put on probation or
confined in County Jail for up to one year, or any combination
of the above. Felony cases are under the jurisdiction
of the Circuit Court. Defendants sentenced for felony
crimes may be fined, put on probation or community control,
confined in County Jail for up to one year as a condition
of probation or community control, confined in a state
prison from one year up to life, or any combination
of the above. If convicted of a capital crime, the defendant
could be sentenced to death.
CRIMINAL
The Criminal Division of the Clerk's Office
manages court files of all arrestable offenses that
occur in Manatee County. Arrestable offenses include
charges of No Valid Driver's License to more serious
charges of murder and drug offenses. The goal of the
Criminal Division is to maintain complete, accurate,
and timely documentation of court files, court proceedings,
and exhibits assuring that documents are prepared for
court appearances, records of any and all court proceedings
are documented, and criminal judgments are prepared
and recorded.
Financial management is also a large part
of the criminal system. The Clerk accepts payments from
sentenced defendants for the cost of supervision for
probation, fines, court costs, restitution, and public
defender liens. The Clerk is responsible for forwarding
these fees and costs to the appropriate local or state
agency and for maintaining the required reports of such
collections.
CRIMINAL DIVISION CONTACT INFORMATION
| Phone Number |
941-741-4019 |
| Fax Number |
941-741-4082 |
| E-mail Director |
|
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
