What Happens at Arraignment in New York: A Data Overview

According to 80,930 New York DCJS Pretrial Release Data records from 2019–2024, DWI / DUI cases across 61 New York counties have an average dismissal rate of 9.3% and an average conviction rate of 90.3%.

Disclaimer: This page provides statistics from public court records for informational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Laws and penalties change — consult a licensed New York attorney and the New York Penal Law for current legal information. Past court outcomes do not predict future results.

Arraignment is a critical juncture in any criminal case — it is the first time a defendant appears before a judge, and the point at which pretrial release decisions are made. Our DCJS pretrial release data covers 1.18 million arraignments across 62 New York counties (2019-2024), providing a detailed picture of what happens at this stage.

What Happens at Arraignment

While every arraignment is unique, the process generally includes:

The charges are formally read to the defendant
The judge makes a pretrial release decision — ROR (released on recognizance), bail, supervised release, or remand
The defendant enters an initial plea (typically not guilty at arraignment)
Future court dates are scheduled

Pretrial Release Decisions in the Data

Our DCJS data captures the pretrial release decision made at arraignment for each case. Across all charge types and counties, the data shows that the balance between ROR, bail, supervised release, and remand varies by charge severity, county, and the time period (reflecting bail reform effects). View pretrial release data by charge type to explore these patterns.

How Bail Reform Changed Arraignment

New York's 2020 bail reform and its 2022 amendments significantly changed what happens at arraignment. The reform eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, while the amendments expanded the list of bail-eligible offenses. Our data spans the full 2019-2024 period, capturing arraignment patterns before, during, and after these legislative changes.

County-Level Variation

Arraignment outcomes differ across New York's 62 counties. Even for the same charge type, different counties show different rates of ROR, bail, and remand. These differences may reflect local judicial practices, the implementation of bail reform, caseload volumes, and available pretrial supervision resources. Visit our court pages for county-specific data.

Next Steps

For information about what to expect at an arraignment, consult a licensed New York attorney. The New York Unified Court System website provides general information about court procedures. Explore our pretrial release data to see arraignment outcomes by charge and county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Arraignment is the first court appearance after arrest. The judge informs the defendant of the charges, makes a pretrial release decision (ROR, bail, or remand), and the defendant enters an initial plea. Our DCJS data from 1.18M cases tracks these pretrial decisions across all 62 New York counties.

At arraignment, a judge may release the defendant on their own recognizance (ROR), set bail, order supervised release, or remand the defendant to custody. Our data shows that pretrial release decisions vary significantly by charge type and county.

Our data reveals meaningful county-level variation in pretrial release decisions. The same charge type may result in very different ROR, bail, and remand rates depending on where the arraignment takes place. Explore our bail data pages for county-specific statistics.