Row Officers
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Office of
the Bucks County District Attorney
Victim Witness Unit
Criminal Justice System
Introduction
If you are a victim or witness of crime, you will be asked to make yourself available to testify in court about the crime which involves you. Your cooperation is a very important part of bringing criminals to justice. By becoming involved as a witness, you are not only performing an important civic duty, but you are also helping to protect yourself and other innocent victims of crime. It is our hope that the following information and suggestions will help to prepare you for your experience with our criminal justice system.
The on-call system
An “on-call” system has been established by the District Attorney’s Office for the convenience of all witnesses to remain at home, school or work until they are actually needed to testify in a criminal trial.
You will receive an “on-call” letter telling you that you may be needed to testify on a certain date at the trial of a defendant accused of committing a crime in Bucks County. It is important that you telephone the District Attorney’s Office trial team unit immediately upon receiving your letter. Please call (215) 348-6308 or (215) 348-6312 to leave a telephone number where you can be reached on the day of the trial. If you get a recording, please leave a message with your name, the case number and your contact information. The information that you give to the trial team will be provided to the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case.
If you are called to testify on the day of the trial, you should immediately proceed to the courthouse in Doylestown. Parking is available free of charge in the county parking garage which is located across from the Main Street entrance of the courthouse. There is also limited on-street parking available.
You will need to go through a metal detector at the security checkpoint when you enter the courthouse. All purses, briefcases, packages, etc. will be scanned. You may not bring any weapons, pocket knives, box cutters or mace into the courthouse.
Once you have passed through security, proceed to the first floor and check in at the District Attorney’s booth (on the left when you get off the elevator). You will be asked to sign a witness slip. This slip must be completed in order for you to receive a nominal witness fee of $5.00 per day and $.07 per mile for your travel. After you have signed in at the D.A.’s booth, you will be directed to the courtroom and to the Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case.
The day of trial
A number of events may occur on the scheduled trial date of a case. At times, it is not known until the morning of the trial date as to which of the following events will occur:
- The defendant may not appear. If this happens, the Judge will issue a bench warrant for his/her arrest. The case will then be rescheduled for trial on a later date after the defendant has been apprehended.
- The trial date may be continued or postponed if either the defendant or the prosecution is not ready for trial. If the case is continued, a new trial date is usually set immediately by the court and you will receive a new trial notification.
- The defendant may plead guilty. If the defendant decides to plead guilty on his trial date, on-call victims and witnesses on telephone alert will not receive a call to come to the courthouse. Because guilty pleas and sentencing often take place on the trial date, all victims who wish to give a victim impact statement to the Judge should plan to be present at the courthouse no later than 9:30 a.m. on the designated trial date.
- If the defendant pleads not guilty, the case will proceed to trial. There will either be a jury trial or a bench (waiver) trial. A bench trial means that there is no jury and a Judge will decide the verdict. In a jury trial, jury selection is generally done immediately before the trial begins. If a case is called for trial, you will be telephoned to come to the courthouse. Trials in criminal cases are held in one of several courtrooms located in the Bucks County Courthouse. Criminal trials are public hearings and each courtroom provides for a limited number of spectators.
The trial
A trial begins with an opening statement by the Assistant District Attorney representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The statement outlines the case that the Commonwealth’s evidence will prove. The defense attorney follows or has the option of delaying an opening statement until the beginning of the defense’s case.
Since the Commonwealth bears the burden of proof, the Commonwealth presents their case first. As a Commonwealth witness, your testimony will be needed at this time. You will encounter two (2) forms of questioning: direct examination and cross-examination. The Assistant District Attorney who calls you to testify will question you about the particular facts which you have observed about the crime at issue. This is called direct examination. After the Assistant District Attorney’s questions are completed, the defendant’s attorney will have the right to ask you further questions. This is called cross-examination.
After the Commonwealth has presented all of their witnesses, the defendant may present a defense, but does not have to do so. Additionally, the defendant does not have to take the stand in his/her own defense. The defendant has no burden of proof. The burden of proof lies with the Commonwealth to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of every element of the crime(s) charged.
When all of the testimony and evidence has been presented, the defense gives its closing argument to the jury. Thereafter, the Commonwealth gives its closing argument to the jury.
After closing arguments, the Judge will give jury instructions. This is called “charging the jury”. After the jury has been instructed on the law, they will deliberate until they reach a unanimous verdict. The verdict is read in open court. If the verdict is not guilty, the case is concluded and the defendant is free to go. If the verdict is guilty, the defendant may be sentenced immediately or the Judge may order a pre-sentence investigation and the sentencing will take place at a later date. A sentencing hearing will usually be scheduled within a 90-day period.
In most cases which result in a guilty verdict, the Judge has the option of imposing several types of sentences. Those options include:
- A sentence of imprisonment. Prison sentences may be served in the Bucks County Correctional Facility or one of several state prisons throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- A term of supervised probation. Under a probation sentence, the defendant will not serve time in prison but will have his/her activities supervised by the Adult Probation and Parole Department.
- Non-reporting probation.
- A fine.
Sentences may always contain special provisions such as restitution for losses suffered by a victim or a requirement that the defendant have no contact with a victim or witness. The sentence may also include an order the defendant must undergo drug/alcohol treatment, psychological counseling and/or anger management counseling. In some cases, the Judge may also order the defendant to write a letter of apology to the victim.
Victim Witness Unit - Criminal Justice System - Victims' Bill of Rights - Restitution - Victims' Compensation Assistance - Community-based Agencies - Release Notification - Frequently Asked Questions
Office of
the District Attorney
Bucks County Courthouse
55 East Court Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone: 215-348-6344
Fax: 215-348-6299