Three tiers of offense exist under New York law:

• Violations sit below crimes. The most a judge can give is 15 days in jail and a $250 fine.
• Misdemeanors are lesser crimes. The top tier, class A, is punished by as long as 364 days locally plus as much as $1,000. Class B tops out at three months and $500 (Penal Law §§ 70.15, 80.05).
• Felonies carry possible state prison time. The letters run from A, gravest, down to E.

Lower-level offenses never leave the city, town or village court. Their judges also handle the opening stages of felony cases, such as arraignment and the preliminary hearing. County Court has power over every crime in the county, and indicted felonies are tried there. This county belongs to New York's Fifth Judicial District and the Appellate Division, Fourth Department.

• County Court, county courthouse, 25 East Oneida Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-207-7504, fax 315-266-4519. Indicted felonies are heard here.
• Supreme Court, in that same courthouse, 315-207-7500. A second site, the Barclay Courthouse at 2 Broad Street, Pulaski, NY 13142, sees people by appointment only.
• Family Court, Public Safety Center, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-207-7533. It takes most cases about children and teens.
• Drug Treatment Court referrals go through its resource coordinator, 315-207-7579, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Office hours and courtroom numbers can change, so phone before you go. The state court system keeps a local court directory for this county.

• Oswego City Court, Conway Municipal Center, 20 West Oneida Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-207-7251
• Fulton City Court, Municipal Building, 141 South 1st Street, Fulton, NY 13069, 315-207-7231
• Central Square Village Court, 3125 East Avenue, Central Square, NY 13036 (mail to P.O. Box 509), 315-668-8228
• Phoenix Village Court, Sweet Memorial Building, 455 Main Street, Phoenix, NY 13135, 315-907-7288. Alternative number: 315-695-2484, option 3. Court sessions begin at 6:00 p.m.

Cleveland, Hannibal, Lacona, Mexico, Parish, Pulaski and Sandy Creek are villages too. For an arrest inside one of them, the appearance ticket or release paper names the court. Lost the paper? Prosecutors at the District Attorney's Office, Public Safety Center, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-349-3200, know which judge has each file.

Each of the 22 towns has its own justice court. Session days differ from town to town, so call first:

• Albion Town Court, 15 Bridge Street, Altmar, NY 13302, 315-298-6325
• Amboy Town Court, 822 State Route 69, Williamstown, NY 13493, 315-964-7799
• Boylston Town Court, 580 County Route 13, Lacona, NY 13083, 315-387-5530
• Constantia Town Court, Municipal Building, Frederick Street, Constantia, NY 13044 (mail to P.O. Box 214), 315-243-2600
• Granby Town Court, 820 County Route 8, Fulton, NY 13069, 315-598-2958
• Hannibal Town Court, 824 County Route 34, Hannibal, NY 13074, 315-564-6698
• Hastings Town Court, Town Hall, 1134 US Route 11, Central Square, NY 13036, 315-668-2382. Alternative number: 315-668-2456.
• Mexico Town Court, 3245 Main Street, Mexico, NY 13114, 315-963-3785
• Minetto Town Court, 6 Community Drive, Minetto, NY 13115, 315-326-0030
• New Haven Town Court, 4279 State Route 104, P.O. Box 141, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-963-8886. Alternative number: 315-963-3900.
• Orwell Town Court, 1999 County Route 2, Orwell, NY 13426, 315-298-2897. Alternative number: 315-298-3040.
• Oswego Town Court, 640 County Route 20, Suite 2, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-343-0588. Alternative number: 315-343-7249.
• Palermo Town Court, 53 County Route 35, Fulton, NY 13069, 315-593-2333, ext. 222
• Parish Town Court, 2938 East Main Street, Parish, NY 13131, 315-625-7282
• Redfield Town Court, 4830 County Route 17, Redfield, NY 13437, 315-599-7058
• Richland Town Court, 1 Bridge Street, Pulaski, NY 13142, 315-298-5174, ext. 1027
• Sandy Creek Town Court, 1992 Harwood Drive, Sandy Creek, NY 13145, 315-387-5456, ext. 9
• Schroeppel Town Court, Town Office Building, 69 County Route 57A, Phoenix, NY 13135, 315-695-6177
• Scriba Town Court, 45 Creamery Road, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-343-1503. Alternative number: 315-343-3250.
• Volney Town Court, 1445 County Route 6, Fulton, NY 13069, 315-598-7082
• West Monroe Town Court, 46 County Route 11, West Monroe, NY 13167, 315-676-3521
• Williamstown Town Court, P.O. Box 141, Williamstown, NY 13493, 315-964-0144

The opening hearing is called arraignment. According to the state's CourtHelp pages, roughly a day usually passes between arrest and arraignment. Locally, it is held in a city, town or village court, most often the one covering the place where the arrest happened. During that short hearing:

• The judge reads the accusations aloud.
• Counsel must be present for the defense. If they qualify, the lawyer is free, and the hearing isn't put off while that gets sorted out (Executive Law § 832(4)).
• A securing order is decided, ranging from walking out on a signed promise to remand on certain felonies (CPL 510.10).
• In a family violence case, a temporary order of protection may be signed, telling the accused to stay away (CPL 530.12).
• Facing a felony? The accused may appear as a witness before the grand jury, if prosecutors get a written heads-up first (CPL 190.50(5)).

A misdemeanor begins and ends in the local court. Many begin with an appearance ticket instead of a jail stay (CPL 150.20). After arraignment:

1. Prosecutors share their evidence, called discovery, on a deadline: 20 calendar days when the accused sits in jail, 35 when not (CPL 245.10).
2. They must be trial-ready within 90 days on a class A misdemeanor, or 60 days on a class B (CPL 30.30).
3. The case then closes with a dismissal, a plea deal or a trial.

Punishment options include a jail term, a fine, or probation, which lasts two to three years on a class A and one year on a class B (Penal Law § 65.00). There's also the conditional discharge: twelve months of court rules, no jail and no supervising officer (Penal Law § 65.05). Thanks to the Clean Slate Act, a misdemeanor record closes to most employers about three years down the road, with no application needed (CPL 160.57).

1. Felony complaint. Arraignment takes place in the local court.
2. Preliminary hearing or grand jury. A jailed defendant earns release on recognizance if neither step begins inside 120 hours, stretched to 144 across weekends and holidays (CPL 180.80).
3. Indictment. The grand jury decides whether to bring formal charges. The accused may testify after written notice (CPL 190.50(5)).
4. County Court. The indicted case moves up for a second arraignment, motions and plea talks.
5. Trial or plea. The prosecution must be ready within six months (CPL 30.30).
6. Sentencing, usually after a report from Probation.

Maximum terms climb with the letter grade: E allows 4 years, D 7, C 15, B 25, and A up to life (Penal Law § 70.00). Judges may give one year or less on some class D or E felonies. Fines can reach $5,000 or double what the person gained (Penal Law § 80.00). Felony probation runs three, four or five years.

Some people with an addiction behind a nonviolent felony can choose court-supervised treatment through Judicial Diversion (CPL Article 216). The local Drug Treatment Court takes referrals at 315-207-7579.

• Fixed prison ranges. Judges hand down a determinate term, meaning a set count of years, and parole-style supervision follows. Under Penal Law § 70.02, the spread is widest for class B (5 to 25 years) and narrowest for class E (1.5 to 4). Class C sits at 3.5 to 15, and D at 2 to 7.
• Examples. Robbery in the first degree sits in class B. So does burglary in the first degree. Second-degree assault falls lower, in class D.
• Bail is possible. Because these charges qualify under CPL 510.10(4), money bail or remand is on the table.
• Longer protection orders. A felony sentence can come with a stay-away order lasting eight years, sometimes longer (CPL 530.12(5)).
• Local judges step back. On a class A felony, a city, town or village judge can't release the person at all (CPL 530.20(2)).

Prosecution belongs to the elected District Attorney. That office works out of the Public Safety Center, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-349-3200. It is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Under County Law § 722, counties fund defense for people without money for a lawyer. Locally that means:

• Public Defender's Office, 74 Bunner Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-746-4210, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Assigned Counsel Program, 74 Bunner Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-349-8575, by appointment. Complaints about assigned lawyers go to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department.

The judge decides who qualifies. People who are in jail are presumed eligible.

The state's WebCrims search covers the two city courts here, in Oswego and Fulton. Enter two or more letters of the first name and of the last name. Only pending cases with an upcoming appearance come up. Anything finished, sealed, handled as youthful offender, or paused by a warrant won't appear.

For County Court, call the clerk at 25 East Oneida Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-207-7504. For a town or village case, dial that court's number from the ticket or release paper. Clerks find files faster with a birth date. Federal dockets sit on PACER, at 10 cents per page.

Sheriff's deputies serve warrants countywide. The Sheriff's warrant unit answers questions at 315-349-3336. Online, scan the Sheriff's Most Wanted poster and the State Police wanted list. You can also ask the court clerk that issued it. Before most bench warrants, the court gives at least 48 hours' notice (CPL 510.50). Clearing it starts with a lawyer's advice. Then the person turns themselves in to that court, or the lawyer requests a fresh date. Felony warrants run through County Court's clerk, 25 East Oneida Street, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-207-7504.

Federal crimes are charged in the Northern District of New York. This county's criminal cases go to the Syracuse Division, James M. Hanley Federal Building, 100 South Clinton Street, Syracuse, NY 13261, 315-234-8500. The clerk's office keeps hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

1. At the initial appearance, the judge explains the charges and weighs custody at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service keeps and moves federal prisoners. Its district headquarters is at 100 South Clinton Street, 10th Floor, Syracuse, NY 13261, 315-473-7601.
3. Defendants who can't pay can turn to the Federal Public Defender, 4 Clinton Square, 3rd Floor, Syracuse, NY 13202, 315-701-0080.
4. Across the country, upward of nine federal defendants in ten choose a plea over a trial.
5. After sentencing, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator tracks the person.

Court dates go on as scheduled. That paper only bites when release day arrives:

1. Federal immigration officers deliver Form I-247A, their detainer request, to jail staff.
2. That form seeks custody up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. A transfer may head west to Genesee County, to the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500, run by its Buffalo Field Office, 130 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-843-7600.
4. Families can search the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State law adds limits. The 2018 appellate case People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco said New York officers lack authority to make civil immigration arrests. Per the Attorney General, a detainer without a judge's signature need not be honored. Executive Law § 170-k (May 27, 2026) made any 287(g) partnership void once August 25, 2026 arrived. Civil Rights Law § 28 protects people heading to court as a party or witness, and their relatives, from a civil arrest while traveling, inside the courthouse, or returning, absent a judge's order.

Felony terms above one year go to state prison, overseen by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). They wait at the Churchill Road jail for paperwork calling them "state ready." DOCCS then must transport them within ten business days. Reception staff hand out a Department Identification Number (DIN), a medical review and a security rating before moving to a regular prison.

• Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup using the DIN, or the last name with birth year.
• DOCCS staff in Albany can help by phone at 518-457-5000 during business hours.
• Rules for visits and mail at each prison appear in our New York state prisons guide.

• Ages 7 to 17, most cases: Family Court hears juvenile delinquency cases, mainly for ages 12 to 17 (Family Court Act § 301.2).
• Ages 13 to 15, the gravest crimes: a "juvenile offender" accused of crimes like murder, rape or robbery can be charged in adult court (CPL 1.20(42)).
• Ages 16 and 17: under Raise the Age, felony cases start in the Youth Part. A nonviolent charge transfers to Family Court, unless the DA files a motion inside 30 days and proves "extraordinary circumstances." Violent felony cases are reviewed within six days (CPL 722.23).
• Misdemeanor arrests at 16 or 17 are routed to the Probation Department's intake staff.
• Ages 16 to 18: a judge may replace a conviction with a sealed youthful offender finding (CPL 720.10).

Questioning a child happens in a room the courts have approved, on camera, or at home if a parent agrees (Family Court Act § 305.2). For help, call Probation at 315-349-3477 or Family Court at 315-207-7533. Both are at the Public Safety Center, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126.

Victim advocates from Services to Aid Families work inside the District Attorney's Office, Public Safety Center, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126. Call 315-349-3200 and ask for an advocate.

• The state Office of Victim Services can repay medical, counseling and funeral bills, by phone at 800-247-8035.
• To get a phone call when an accused person is released, sign up with VINE at 888-846-3469 or on VINELink.
• In a family violence case, a criminal judge can order the accused to stay away (CPL 530.12). When such a case is dismissed or pled down, prosecutors should explain the option of a Family Court petition, 315-207-7533.
• For state prison releases and parole hearings, use the DOCCS victim notification program.