Maricopa County 512 Facility Criminal Court Process

In the Valley, the badge on the arresting officer decides the courtroom. A Phoenix police (100 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-262-6151) citation goes to Phoenix Municipal Court (300 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-262-6421) and is prosecuted by the city prosecutor; a Mesa or Tempe ticket goes to that city’s court; a deputy or trooper stop on a freeway or in county land outside cities usually lands in the precinct's justice court. Most people are cited and released. Those who are booked, as often happens after a domestic-violence call, are brought to the Initial Appearance Court at Intake, Transfer and Release (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) within 24 hours, where a commissioner sets release terms. Arizona law presumes release on recognizance unless the judge finds a reason to require more.

How much punishment is possible turns on the misdemeanor’s class. Class 1, where a first DUI, most family-violence assaults and shoplifting fall, can bring six months behind bars and a $2,500 fine. Class 2 reaches four months and $750. Class 3 reaches 30 days and $500. Surcharges can nearly double the base fine. If jail is possible and cash is short, the person may request appointed counsel; most city courts contract with private defense firms, and in the justice courts the Maricopa County Public Defender (620 West Jackson Street, Suite 4015, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-506-7711) or contract counsel takes the case.

Many cities offer diversion for first-time shoplifting, minor drug possession or domestic-violence offenses, ending in dismissal after classes or counseling. Cases that do not settle are usually tried to the judge; a six-person jury is reserved mainly for DUI and offenses with a historical jury-trial right. A jailed person should get a trial within 150 days of arraignment, and a free person within 180. Most Valley misdemeanors are done in under four months.

Under 18: Juvenile misdemeanors are filed in the Superior Court’s Juvenile Department at the Durango or Southeast center, depending on where the youth lives. Juvenile Probation (3125 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4011) reviews each referral, and a large share of first-time offenders are offered diversion with community service, education programs or a teen court rather than a formal petition. Certain minor violations, including underage drinking, tobacco and vaping, curfew and traffic tickets, may go to a justice or city court instead. A youth taken into detention at Durango or Southeast receives a detention hearing within 24 hours once a petition is on file, and the Public Defender represents eligible juveniles. Juvenile jurisdiction ends at 18, except that the state may extend it to 19 for a 17-year-old by filing a notice before adjudication (A.R.S. 8-202).

Almost every felony arrest in the county funnels through the Initial Appearance courtroom inside the 28th Drive intake center (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322), where judges sit 365 days a year so nobody waits past 24 hours. The judicial officer reviews probable cause for the arrest, sets release conditions or bond, and determines whether the person qualifies for appointed counsel. Maricopa County splits indigent defense among several agencies: the Public Defender, the Legal Defender, the Legal Advocate and private attorneys assigned through the Office of Public Defense Services, which allows conflict-free representation for co-defendants.

The County Attorney must then obtain a grand jury indictment or win a preliminary hearing, which Rule 5.1 requires within 10 days for jailed defendants and 20 days for those released. Maricopa relies heavily on its standing grand juries, so many defendants skip the preliminary hearing. Next comes a not-guilty arraignment, often by video for jailed defendants, then an Initial Pretrial Conference where police reports and other evidence change hands and the court picks a trial date, and a Pretrial Management Conference about four weeks before trial. Plea offers are frequently made early and can expire if not accepted. The deadline for trial is 150 days after arraignment when jailed or 180 days when not, with an eight-person jury in most felony trials.

Murder aside, which is class 1, Arizona grades felonies on a scale running from class 2 down to class 6. First offenders in non-dangerous cases are often eligible for probation; presumptive prison terms run from one year (class 6) to five years (class 2), and prior convictions raise the ranges significantly under A.R.S. 13-703. A first or second conviction for having drugs for personal use must get probation under Prop 200, and class 6 felonies may become misdemeanors under A.R.S. 13-604. Anyone sent to prison serves at least 85% of the sentence. A typical felony case in Maricopa County takes six months to a year.

Under 18: A 14- to 17-year-old charged with a non-violent felony usually faces a delinquency petition in Juvenile Court, with possible outcomes ranging from probation and treatment to commitment with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections. The County Attorney has the option under A.R.S. 13-501(B) to file in adult court instead when the youth is at least 14 and the charge is a class 1 or 2 felony, an enumerated class 3 felony, a dangerous offense, or any felony by a chronic felony offender. The county’s Juvenile Department works out of the Durango and Southeast court centers in Phoenix and Mesa.

Violent felony files in Maricopa County use those felony steps too, yet pretrial release is much rarer. The Arizona Constitution (art. 2, § 22) allows a no-bail hold in capital and sexual assault cases with strong proof, and prosecutors may also push for a dangerousness hearing to keep the person jailed. Defendants held without bail typically stay at Lower Buckeye (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) or another Sheriff’s jail for the duration.

Offenses involving a deadly weapon or serious physical injury are “dangerous” under A.R.S. 13-704, eliminating probation. First-offense ranges include:

• First-degree murder: death, natural life, or life with release possible after 25 years. The Maricopa County Attorney has historically sought death more often than any other Arizona prosecutor; capital cases require a 12-person jury and two qualified defense lawyers, often from the Public Defender’s capital unit. Executions in Arizona resumed in 2022.
• Second-degree murder: 10 to 25 years, 16 presumptive.
• Armed robbery: 7 to 21 years, presumptive 10.5.
• Sexual assault: 5.25 to 14 years with no early release, plus lifetime registration.

Victims are guaranteed participation rights under the Arizona Victims’ Bill of Rights, Article 2, Section 2.1: they are told about each key hearing, may refuse to talk to the defense, get a turn at the microphone before bail, plea and punishment rulings, and should be repaid quickly. The County Attorney’s victim services advocates help navigate these. Homicide and sexual-assault cases in Maricopa County routinely take two years or more, and capital cases often last four or five.

Under 18: A.R.S. 13-501(A) sends teens aged 15 through 17 straight to adult court for first- or second-degree murder, forcible sexual assault, armed robbery or another violent felony offense, or when a chronic felony offender commits any felony. Those teens are often held in juvenile detention (3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4280) while their cases proceed in the adult criminal courts downtown. For a 14-year-old accused of violence, adult court is the prosecutor's choice. The death penalty is off the table for youths, and sentencing courts must weigh age when considering life terms.

Criminal courtrooms are in downtown Phoenix, with regional centers in Mesa, Surprise and north Phoenix:

• Central Court Building (information center): 201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-506-3204
• South Court Tower (criminal courtrooms): 175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-372-5375
• Southeast regional court center: 222 East Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-372-5375
• Northwest regional court center: 14264 West Tierra Buena Lane, Surprise, AZ 85374 · 602-372-5375
• Northeast regional court center: 18380 North 40th Street, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85032 · 602-372-5375
• Durango juvenile court center: 3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009 · 602-506-4280
• Southeast juvenile court center: 1810 South Lewis Street, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-506-4280

The sheriff's office offers an online warrant lookup; its switchboard is 602-876-1000. DPS has a free statewide warrant search, and the Public Access case lookup covers many courts. Clear a warrant with the issuing justice, city or superior court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003), or through an attorney. The Superior Court clerk (201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003) answers at 602-372-5375. Callers demanding payment to cancel a warrant are a scam. Turn yourself in at Intake, Transfer and Release, 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322, and post the warrant's bond once booked.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona hears federal cases in downtown Phoenix:

• First appearance at Phoenix federal courthouse, 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (clerk 602-322-7200).
• A pretrial officer meets the defendant and writes up a release recommendation.
• Prosecutors may push for a detention hearing, usually within a few days.
• Anyone kept in custody is housed by the Marshals, sometimes outside the Valley.

Questions about where a federal prisoner sits go to U.S. Marshals Service, 401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-382-8768.

• Maricopa County Inmate Search: covers the Fourth Avenue, Lower Buckeye (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) and other sheriff's jails. Type the last and first name.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): pick Arizona and enter the name to see custody status in any county jail or state prison.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (320 First Street NW, Washington, DC 20534, 202-307-3198) (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): search a register number or name; call 602-382-8768 (401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003) for someone awaiting federal trial.
• ADCRR Inmate Data Search (701 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 602-542-5497) (https://inmatedatasearch.azcorrections.gov/): name or ADCRR number for state prison placement.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number plus birth country; if nothing comes back, call 602-257-5900 (2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

The sheriff's office tells ICE when a person with a detainer will be released, but doesn't hold anyone past release. A detainer asks the sheriff to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. A.R.S. 11-1051 bars county limits on enforcement.

Removal matters for this area are handled by ICE Phoenix Field Office, 2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602-257-5900. Detention sites:

• Eloy Detention Center: 1705 East Hanna Road, Eloy, AZ 85131 · 520-464-3000
• Florence Service Processing Center: 3250 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-5862
• Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center: 1155 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-9095