Criminal proceedings:
1, investigation stage:
The public security organ may impose criminal detention on an active criminal or a major suspect. Detainees should be questioned within 24 hours after detention. A criminal suspect may hire a lawyer to provide him with consultation, complaint and accusation after the first interrogation by the investigation organ or the day when compulsory measures are taken. The entrusted lawyer has the right to know the charges charged by the criminal suspect from the investigation organ, to meet the criminal suspect in custody and to know the relevant information from the criminal suspect.
If the public security organ deems it necessary to arrest the detained person, it shall submit it to the people's procuratorate for examination and approval within three days after detention. Under special circumstances, the approval time can be extended by one to four days. For major suspects who commit crimes on the run, commit crimes many times or commit crimes in collusion, the time for submitting for examination and approval may be extended to 30 days. The people's procuratorate shall, within seven days after receiving the approval letter from the public security organ, make a decision on whether to approve or disapprove the arrest. If the people's procuratorate does not approve the arrest, the public security organ shall immediately release it after receiving the notice and promptly notify the people's procuratorate to execute it. Those who need to continue the investigation and meet the conditions of obtaining a guarantor pending trial or residential surveillance shall be granted a guarantor pending trial or residential surveillance according to law.
2, review and prosecution stage:
When examining a case, the people's procuratorate shall interrogate the criminal suspect and listen to the opinions of the victim, the criminal suspect and the person entrusted by the victim.
The criminal suspect has the right to entrust a defender from the date when the case is transferred for examination and prosecution. The defendant in a case of private prosecution has the right to entrust a defender at any time.
The people's procuratorate shall, within three days from the date of receiving the case materials transferred for examination and prosecution, inform the criminal suspect that he has the right to entrust a defender. The people's court shall, within three days from the date of accepting a case of private prosecution, inform the defendant that he has the right to entrust a defender.
Defense lawyers may consult, extract and copy the litigation documents and technical appraisal materials of this case from the date when the people's procuratorate examines and prosecutes the case, and may meet and correspond with the criminal suspect in custody.
3. Trial stage:
After the people's court has examined the case in which a public prosecution was initiated, if the facts of the crime alleged in the indictment are clear, and a list of evidence, a list of witnesses and copies or photos of the main evidence are attached, it shall decide to hold a hearing. Except for cases involving state secrets or personal privacy, the people's courts try cases of first instance in public.
Since the people's court accepted the case, the defense lawyer can consult, extract and copy the materials of the alleged criminal facts in this case, and can meet and correspond with the defendant in custody. At the trial, the defense lawyer defended the defendant.
When trying a case of public prosecution, the people's court shall pronounce a judgment within one month after accepting it, but not more than one and a half months at the latest. Under any of the circumstances stipulated in Article 156 of the Criminal Procedure Law, it may be extended for another month with the approval or decision of the Higher People's Court of a province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government.
To sum up, lawyers can tell their families after reading the papers, but they can't reveal the trial secrets. In criminal cases, lawyers can read the papers from the date when the people's procuratorate examines and prosecutes the case.
Legal basis:
Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 40
From the date when the people's procuratorate examines and prosecutes the case, the defense lawyer may consult, extract and copy the case file. Other defenders may also consult, extract and copy the above materials with the permission of the people's court or the people's procuratorate.
Article 41
Defenders have the right to apply to the people's procuratorate or the people's court for obtaining the evidence materials collected by the public security organs and the people's procuratorate to prove the innocence or light crimes of the criminal suspects and defendants during the investigation, examination and prosecution.