CaseSteps

Federal & State Criminal Case Education

Understand Your Criminal Case. Prepare for What Comes Next.

Plain-English answers, step-by-step organizers, and printable checklists for defendants, families, and legal teams—from preparing for court to understanding custody and release.

Find Answers to My Questions Start My Case Roadmap

General education—not legal advice. Federal guides and a California early-stage pilot available.

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  • Federal and state pathways
  • Plain-English explanations
  • Designed for collaboration with counsel

Built to help you prepare—not replace your lawyer.

Start With a Question

Federal resources. General education—not legal advice.

Where would you like to begin?

A guided case organizer for defendants, families, and legal teams—from the first questions through sentencing, custody, and reentry.

I'm facing charges or helping someone

Build a guided case roadmap for yourself, a family member, or someone you support.

Start Personal Roadmap

I'm an attorney or legal professional

Give clients a structured way to organize information, prepare questions, and collaborate with their legal team.

View Legal Team Workspace

Ask CaseSteps

Explore general educational answers and prepare better questions for counsel.

This is a guided library of prewritten questions and reviewed answer cards. No person or AI is replying to you here. CaseSteps does not answer questions about what you personally should do, predict outcomes, or replace confidential advice from qualified counsel.

Do not use this website for emergencies or urgent legal deadlines. Contact qualified counsel or the appropriate official authority.

Do not enter names, case numbers, addresses, or confidential details. Ask the question generally.

Choose a prewritten question above, or search a general topic, to open a CaseSteps educational answer card.

Planned educational topics

These topics are not written yet, so there is nothing to open.

  • What is the First Step Act?

    Planned educational topic — A general overview of the statute as a whole is planned. First Step Act Time Credits, which are one part of it, already have a completed reading.

  • What is the Second Chance Act?

    Planned educational topic — A general overview of the statute as a whole is planned. Prerelease placement under the Act already has a completed reading.

Open the full question library

How it works

Four calm steps

  1. 1

    Tell us where you are

    Choose federal or state court and identify the current stage of the case.

  2. 2

    Answer guided questions

    Work through simple Yes, No, and Not Sure questions one at a time.

  3. 3

    Build your organizer

    Create a timeline, document checklist, missing-information list, and questions for counsel.

  4. 4

    Review with your legal team

    Export or share an organized summary after secure collaboration features are developed.

Case journey

The general stages of a case

Cases do not always follow exactly the same path, and procedures vary by jurisdiction. This roadmap is a general orientation, not a prediction of what will happen in any particular case.

  1. Stage 1

    Investigation

  2. Stage 2

    Arrest or Charges

  3. Stage 3

    Initial Court Proceedings

  4. Stage 4

    Discovery and Case Review

  5. Stage 5

    Plea Discussions or Trial Preparation

    Open the Federal Plea Preparation Organizer

  6. Stage 6

    Presentence Investigation

  7. Stage 7

    PSR Review and Objections

  8. Stage 8

    Sentencing

    Open the Federal Sentencing Preparation Organizer

  9. Stage 9

    Custody or Corrections

    Open the Federal Custody Transition Organizer

  10. Stage 10

    Release and Reentry

    Open the Federal Release & Reentry Organizer

  11. Stage 11

    Probation or Supervised Release

    Open the Federal Release & Reentry Organizer

Presentence investigation and report

Your Presentence Report Can Affect More Than Sentencing.

The presentence investigation is the information-gathering process. The PSR is the report produced from that process. Information in the report may be considered at sentencing and can potentially follow a person into the correctional system. Reviewing it carefully with counsel and raising factual concerns through the proper process can be extremely important.

Personal and family history

Background information gathered during the investigation process.

Criminal-history information

Prior record information as compiled from official records.

Financial and restitution information

General financial background and restitution-related sections.

Offense and sentencing information

Offense description and sentencing-related sections of the report.

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Link shared: /resources/federal/psi-vs-psr

Explore the PSI and PSR Organizer

CaseSteps helps users identify information to review with counsel. It does not draft legal objections or determine what an attorney should argue.

Education center

Plain-English topics with official sources

Every article will carry structured metadata so readers always know where information came from and when it was last checked.

State Sentencing Information

Jurisdiction:
State
Case stage:
Sentencing

Content pending attorney review

First Step Act

Jurisdiction:
Federal
Case stage:
Custody

Content pending attorney review

Second Chance Act

Jurisdiction:
Federal
Case stage:
Reentry

Content pending attorney review

Good-Conduct Time

Jurisdiction:
Federal
Case stage:
Custody

Content pending attorney review

Earned-Time Credits

Jurisdiction:
Federal and State
Case stage:
Custody

Content pending attorney review

Bureau of Prisons

Jurisdiction:
Federal
Case stage:
Custody

Content pending attorney review

Probation and Supervised Release

Jurisdiction:
Federal and State
Case stage:
Supervision

Content pending attorney review

Reentry Planning

Jurisdiction:
Federal and State
Case stage:
Release and Reentry

Content pending attorney review

Records and Documents

Jurisdiction:
All
Case stage:
Every stage

Content pending attorney review

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State criminal cases

State procedures, terminology, agencies, and deadlines vary. Federal articles on this site are federal-only and do not govern a state case. A general organizer is available while state-specific education is developed one state at a time.

Most states: state-specific legal guide not yet available

California pilot — early stages only

Adult misdemeanor and felony cases at the general case-stage, arraignment, and early pretrial level. It does not cover all California criminal law.

Read: What Are the Main Stages of a California Criminal Case?Read: What Happens at a California Arraignment and During Pretrial?Open the California Early Case Organizer

Official-source checked • Attorney review pending

Start with the right jurisdictionOpen the State Case Organizer

Metadata carried by every future article

  • Jurisdiction
  • Topic
  • Case stage
  • Source agency or court
  • Effective date
  • Last reviewed date
  • Attorney-reviewed status

Reading

Books and Resources Worth Exploring

Editorial recommendations only. Purchase links are kept separate from educational content, and no placements are paid.

Understanding the System

Fight the Feds: Unraveling Federal Criminal Investigations

Ronald W. Chapman II, Esq.

A defense attorney's plain-English walk through how federal investigations unfold.

Why we included it: Builds vocabulary about federal process before meeting with counsel.

View on Amazon

Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law

Preet Bharara

A former U.S. Attorney describes how charging and prosecution decisions are made.

Why we included it: Clarifies the prosecutor's role, which reduces confusion early.

Free copy may be available

View on Amazon

[Title pending editorial review]

Author name

A general introduction to how criminal cases move through the courts.

Why we included it: Helps readers build vocabulary before meeting with counsel.

Free copy may be available

Purchase link

Sentencing and Incarceration

[Title pending editorial review]

Author name

Background reading on sentencing process and corrections systems.

Why we included it: Explains process without predicting outcomes.

Free copy may be available

Purchase link

Personal Preparation

The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win

Joel P. Trachtman

An introduction to the reasoning and argument methods lawyers use.

Why we included it: Helps readers follow their own lawyer's reasoning and ask better questions.

View on Amazon

[Title pending editorial review]

Author name

Practical preparation, routine, and family communication.

Why we included it: Focuses on what a person can control.

Purchase link

Reentry and Second Chances

[Title pending editorial review]

Author name

Planning for records, work, housing, and supervision.

Why we included it: Reentry planning benefits from starting early.

Free copy may be available

Purchase link

Perspective and Criminal-Justice Reform

Conviction Machine: Standing Up to Federal Prosecutorial Abuse

Sidney Powell and Harvey A. Silverglate

A critical look at federal charging power and its effects on defendants.

Why we included it: Adds perspective on federal prosecution debates; a viewpoint book, not a guide.

View on Amazon

Lawless: The Miseducation of America's Elites

Ilya Shapiro

A commentary on legal education and institutions in the United States.

Why we included it: Broader context for readers interested in reform debates; a viewpoint book.

View on Amazon

[Title pending editorial review]

Author name

Broader context about the justice system and reform efforts.

Why we included it: Adds perspective for families and advocates.

Purchase link

Need a Book Sent to Someone in Custody?

Future versions of CaseSteps will help families identify nonprofit book programs and facility-specific mailing requirements.

Proposed introductory pricing

Simple, one-time pricing

Checkout is not being built in this prototype. Prices below are proposed introductory pricing and may change.

Free

$0

  • General educational library
  • Basic guided questions
  • Limited roadmap
  • Questions-for-counsel checklist

Proposed introductory pricing

Organize

$29 one-time

  • Complete case organizer
  • Timeline builder
  • Document checklist
  • Guided case-stage questions
  • Printable summary

Proposed introductory pricing

Prepare

$59 one-time

  • Everything in Organize
  • PSI and PSR preparation tools
  • Sentencing-preparation organizer
  • Family and reentry planning
  • Expanded question library

Proposed introductory pricing

Complete Journey

$99 one-time

  • Everything in Prepare
  • Custody and release organizer
  • Reentry and supervision planning
  • Future content updates for the purchased journey
  • One printed educational book or book credit, subject to availability and facility rules

Proposed introductory pricing

For attorneys and legal teams

Help Your Clients Help You Help Them.

Share clear education, blank organizers, and better questions so client conversations begin with more understanding and less repetition.

Explore Resources for Your Clients

Trust and safety

Important Information Before You Begin

  • CaseSteps provides legal education and organization, not legal representation.
  • Laws and policies change and may differ by jurisdiction.
  • Users should confirm important decisions with qualified counsel.
  • AI-generated information can be incomplete or incorrect.
  • Official source links and review dates should accompany legal information.
  • Users should not enter privileged, sealed, confidential, or highly sensitive information into the public prototype.
  • Emergency and deadline-sensitive matters require immediate help from counsel or the appropriate court.