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

Question Library

Browse prewritten answers to common questions about criminal cases, custody and release.

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.

Browse Questions

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

    Print and review with your legal team

    Printable worksheets and summaries are available now, free of charge. You can print an organizer or save it as a PDF from your own device. Secure online collaboration is not built and is not offered.

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.

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

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.

Books can provide helpful background, but they may be difficult to obtain, difficult to read or too general to answer a person's exact question. CaseSteps breaks complicated subjects into shorter readings so visitors can focus on one question at a time.

Ordering for someone in custody? Select the paperback edition and confirm the facility's current book-mail rules before purchasing.

CaseSteps is not an Amazon affiliate and receives no commission or other payment from these links. The books are offered as optional third-party resources, not legal advice or endorsements of every statement in a book.

Search for additional federal criminal handbooks

Some readers want a broader reference book. This Amazon search uses the phrase “Federal criminal handbook 2026” so you can compare currently listed books and editions.

Search Amazon: Federal Criminal Handbook 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Third-party Amazon link. CaseSteps does not sell, ship or guarantee any book.

Amazon search results can change and may include sponsored listings, older editions and different formats. CaseSteps has not reviewed or endorsed every result. Check the publication year, author, description and format before ordering.

If a book is being ordered for someone in custody, confirm the facility’s current rules before purchasing. Look specifically for a paperback or softcover edition if hardcover books are not accepted. The facility—not CaseSteps or Amazon—decides what may be delivered.

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 someone might choose this book: Builds vocabulary about federal process before meeting with counsel.

View Paperback on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Third-party Amazon link

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 someone might choose this book: Clarifies the prosecutor's role, which reduces confusion early.

View Paperback on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Third-party Amazon 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 someone might choose this book: Helps readers follow their own lawyer's reasoning and ask better questions.

View Paperback on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Third-party Amazon 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 someone might choose this book: Adds perspective on federal prosecution debates; a viewpoint book, not a guide.

View Paperback on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Third-party Amazon link

Lawless: The Miseducation of America's Elites

Ilya Shapiro

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

Why someone might choose this book: Broader context for readers interested in reform debates; a viewpoint book.

No paperback edition is listed on Amazon for this title, so no link is provided.

Book rules vary by facility. Some facilities require books to be new and shipped directly by an approved publisher or bookstore, limit the number of books a person may possess, or reject particular formats or content. Selecting paperback and ordering through Amazon does not guarantee that a facility will accept or deliver the book. Confirm the person's identification number, mailing address and current facility rules before ordering.

Free to use

Free tools to understand the process and stay organized

CaseSteps provides free educational readings, guided organizers and practical questions to discuss with an attorney. No payment or account is required to use the public Question Library or the organizers available today.

CaseSteps is operated by Veritas Justice Reform as a for-profit educational business, but the CaseSteps tools currently available on this website are provided without charge. See the Terms of Use.

CaseSteps provides educational and organizational tools. Nothing here includes legal advice, legal representation, document preparation, filing assistance, individual case review, or calculation of a sentence, credit, deadline or release date. Content identified as “Attorney review pending” has not been reviewed by a licensed attorney.

For attorneys and legal teams

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

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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.