ADAM NORRIS
Attorney at law llc
What to Expect: The South Carolina Criminal Process
Fear of the unknown is half the weight of a criminal charge. This page walks through the typical life of a criminal case in South Carolina so you know what's coming, what each stage means, and where the opportunities to change the outcome live. Every case is different, and this is general information rather than legal advice about your situation, but the roadmap below covers most state-level cases.
Step 1: Arrest and Booking
After an arrest you'll be booked at the detention center: fingerprints, photograph, personal information. You do not have to answer questions about the case, and you shouldn't. The only words you need are a request for your attorney.
Step 2: The Bond Hearing
Usually within 24 hours, a judge sets the conditions of your release: a personal recognizance bond, a surety bond, or in serious cases, denial of bond. This hearing matters more than people realize. The conditions set here govern your life for the duration of the case, and having counsel present or involved early can shape them.
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Pulling your full record and confirming exactly what's on it
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Determining eligibility under the current statute for each charge
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Preparing and filing the application with the Solicitor's Office
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Tracking approvals through SLED, the Solicitor, and the court
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Confirming the record has actually been destroyed once the order is signed
Step 3: First Appearance and Case Assignment
Lower-level charges are handled in magistrate or municipal court, often on a faster track. More serious charges move to General Sessions, the circuit-level criminal court, where the case is assigned to a prosecutor and scheduling begins.
Step 4: Preliminary Hearing
For General Sessions charges, you can request a preliminary hearing where a judge reviews whether probable cause supports the charge. It's also the defense's first real look at the State's witnesses under oath, which makes it valuable even when the case moves forward.
Step 5: Indictment
Before a General Sessions case can proceed to trial, a grand jury reviews it and issues an indictment. This is a one-sided process, and the vast majority of cases presented are indicted, so an indictment says little about the actual strength of the State's case.
Step 6: Discovery and Motions
This is where cases are transformed. The State turns over its evidence: reports, video, lab results, witness statements. Adam reviews all of it the way he did as a prosecutor, then files motions where the record supports them, including motions to suppress evidence obtained unlawfully. Suppression can gut the State's case before a jury is ever selected.
Step 7: Negotiation, Diversion, or Trial
Most cases resolve without trial, through dismissal, diversion programs like Pre-Trial Intervention, or a negotiated plea. Which path is right depends entirely on the strength of the evidence and your priorities. When trial is the right answer, Adam prepares your case the way he prepared cases for the State: assuming the other side is ready, and being more ready. Adam has tried over a dozen jury trials and is never afraid to take cases to trial when that’s the best option for his clients.
Step 8: Sentencing and Beyond
If a case ends in a conviction or plea, sentencing follows, and advocacy there still matters enormously. Mitigation by an experienced attorney can go a long way in reducing the judge’s sentence. Afterward, options can include appeals, post-conviction relief, and eventually, for eligible charges, expungement.
One Rule for Every Stage
Do not talk about your case: not to police, not to cellmates, not on jail phones (they're recorded), and, most importantly, not on social media. In fact, don’t post on social media at all while a criminal charge is pending. Everything you say becomes potential evidence and/or justification for the State to have your bond revoked, meaning you go to jail and stay there until your charge(s) are resolved. Let your attorney do the talking. It's what you're paying him for.
