In all criminal cases, including paternity cases, and civil and criminal nonsupport cases which may result in the jailing of the defendant, in any court of this state created by authority of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, when a defendant is entitled to counsel as provided by law, the trial judge shall before arraignment ascertain from the accused, or otherwise:

(1) Whether or not the defendant has arranged to be represented by counsel;

Terms Used In Alabama Code 15-12-20

  • Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(2) Whether or not the defendant desires the assistance of counsel; and
(3) Whether or not the defendant is able financially or otherwise to obtain the assistance of counsel in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Office of Indigent Defense Services.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Article 2 Contents