Oregon Charging Instruments

Oregon charging instruments vary depending on the charge. There are tickets and there are also more formal charging instruments.

Citations or Tickets

Citations are typically given for traffic tickets. Citations are also given for hunting violations and other violations.

Information of District Attorney

This type of charging instrument has a strange name. We typically think of “information” as an abstract noun referencing, well, information. Facts provided or learned about something or someone, or what is conveyed or represented by a particular arrangement or sequence of things.

In the context of Oregon charging instruments, an “Information of District Attorney,” “Information of DA,” or “the DA’s Information” refers to a document that alleges a crime.

Informations of DA are typically used for misdemeanor criminal charges. However, they can also be used for felony charges prior to submitting a case to grand jury for return of an indictment.

Indictments

If a prosecutor wants to file a felony criminal charge in Oregon, he or she needs to submit the case to grand jury. An indictment is a charging instrument very similar to an Information of DA and looks almost identical except for the caption and a place for the signature of the grand jury foreperson. For more information on the indictment and grand jury process, see our grand jury page.

Oregon Criminal Defense Attorney

If you’ve been charged with a violation, misdemeanor, or felony by means of either a citation, information, or indictment, call our office. We provide criminal defense services for Oregon and we can help you.