Terms Used In Michigan Laws 763.8

  • Acquittal:
    1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
    2. A verdict of "not guilty."
     
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Felony: means a violation of a penal law of this state for which the offender, upon conviction, may be punished by imprisonment for more than 1 year or an offense expressly designated by law to be a felony. See Michigan Laws 761.1
  • Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  (1) This section applies if the law enforcement agency has audiovisual recording equipment that is operational or accessible as provided in section 11(3) or (4) or upon the expiration of the relevant time periods set forth in section 11(3) or (4), whichever occurs first.
  (2) A law enforcement official interrogating an individual in custodial detention regarding the individual’s involvement in the commission of a major felony shall make a time-stamped, audiovisual recording of the entire interrogation. A major felony recording shall include the law enforcement official’s notification to the individual of the individual’s Miranda rights.
  (3) An individual who believes the individual’s interrogation is being recorded may object to having the interrogation recorded. The individual’s objection shall be documented either by the individual’s objection stated on the recording or the individual’s signature on a document stating the objection. If the individual refuses to document the objection either by recording or signature, a law enforcement official shall document the objection by a recording or signed document. A major felony recording may be made without the consent or knowledge of, or despite the objection of, the individual being interrogated.
  (4) A major felony recording shall be produced using equipment and procedures that are designed to prevent alteration of the recording’s audio or visual record.
  (5) Pursuant to any request of discovery, the prosecutor shall provide a copy of the recorded statement to the defense counsel of record or to the defendant if he or she is not represented by defense counsel. The court shall not require the police or the prosecutor to prepare or pay for a transcript of a recorded statement. A court or the defense may have a transcript prepared at its own expense.
  (6) Prior to conviction or acquittal, a statement recorded under this section is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.