Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Plain Language Guide

The Code of Criminal Procedure is the Texas rulebook that says how criminal cases move through the system — not what's illegal (that's the Penal Code), but the step-by-step process police, prosecutors, judges, and defendants have to follow from the moment a crime is suspected until a case is finally over.

This Texas Code of Criminal Procedure guide is a general explanation, plain language overview, of how Texas criminal cases work under current law. It reflects only a summary of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure as it stands for the 2025–2027 edition, current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025.

It is intended to be a reference guide, for anyone interested in understanding the Texas criminal justice system as well as law enforcement officers, defense attorneys, prosecutors and law students, providing a general summary of the law set forth in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.