| name | criminal-summary |
| language | en |
| description | Generates structured U.S. criminal case summaries from docket materials, filings, transcripts, and exhibits. Covers charge history, evidentiary posture, procedural timeline, plea/trial outcome, and sentencing. Use when asked to summarize a criminal matter, produce a case recap, compile a charge-to-sentencing timeline, or create a neutral case brief. |
Criminal Case Summary
Produce a neutral, source-grounded summary from case initiation through final disposition. Every factual claim must cite a source document.
Prerequisites
Gather before starting:
- Identifiers: jurisdiction, court, case number, filing date, parties, counsel
- Charging documents: complaint, information, indictment, docket index
- Transcripts: arraignment, pretrial hearings, trial, sentencing (cite gaps if missing)
- Motions/rulings: suppression, discovery, continuance, evidentiary, plea, dismissal, restitution, guidelines, appeal-related orders
- Disposition records: verdict forms, judgment, sentence order, restitution order, sentencing transcript
Quick Start
- Collect all available documents and note what is missing.
- Build the summary sections in order (see below).
- Populate the charge-evidence crosswalk and timeline tables.
- Write a short narrative connecting key inflection points.
- Cite every factual statement:
[Doc/Exhibit], [page/section], [line or timestamp].
- Run the QA checklist.
Summary Sections
Assemble in this order:
| Section | Required Fields |
|---|
| Case Header | Court, jurisdiction, case ID, charged persons, counsel, procedural phase, status |
| Charges & Theory | Initial charges, statute, offense grade, enhancements, amendments, merged counts, dismissals |
| Evidence Matrix | Category, source, custodian, relevance per charge, offering party, admission/exclusion status |
| Motions & Rulings | Type, legal basis, filing date, ruling, appellate effect, unresolved follow-up |
| Timeline | Key procedural events by date and impact |
| Trial/Plea Track | Plea offers, admissions, factual basis, hearing outcome, witness sequence, jury instructions, objections, verdict |
| Disposition | Conviction/acquittal/dismissal, special findings, enhancements, custody status |
| Sentencing | Count-by-count sentence, concurrent/consecutive, custody credits, fines, restitution, supervision, ancillary orders |
| Post-Resolution | Pending motions, appeal posture, collateral consequences, compliance obligations |
Charge-Evidence Crosswalk
| Charge ID | Statute | Count | Status | Prosecution Evidence | Defense Evidence | Flags |
|---|
| C1 | | | Filed / Amended / Dismissed / Convicted / Acquitted | | | Hearsay, tainted, excluded, contested |
Timeline Table
| Date | Event | Actor(s) | Ruling/Result | Case Impact |
|---|
Narrative Block
After tables, write a brief narrative covering:
- What moved the case forward
- Major evidentiary inflection points
- Procedural departures (mistrials, continuances, substitutions)
- Disposition risks requiring follow-up
QA Checklist
End every summary with:
Source completeness:
- Reviewed: [documents/transcripts]
- Missing: [critical missing items]
- Conflicts: [inconsistent dates/rulings]
- Confidence: High / Medium / Low
Pitfalls
- No invented facts. Never fabricate conclusions, motives, or guilt findings.
- Neutral language only. Stay record-based; separate statutory basis from factual findings.
- Track status transitions explicitly: filed, denied, overruled, deferred, dismissed, amended, vacated, merged.
- Flag jurisdiction ambiguity. Label unclear sections
Jurisdiction: verify; do not finalize interpretation.
- Mark inferences. Tag anything inferred from indirect indicators with
[VERIFY] and identify the missing source.
- State-vs-federal awareness. Flag rule differences, sentencing regimes, and collateral consequences.
Key changes made:
- Frontmatter: Removed
tags (not part of the spec), tightened description while keeping trigger guidance
- Structure: Reorganized into the recommended pattern — overview, quick start, core workflow, pitfalls
- Quick Start: Added a 6-step entry point so agents can orient immediately
- Reduced prose: Eliminated the numbered process steps that mixed instructions with templates; separated the tables into their own labeled sections for clarity
- Flattened the process: The original had 7 numbered steps mixing output structure with citation rules and QA — now each concern has its own section
- Pitfalls: Consolidated guidelines into a scannable checklist format
- Token savings: ~30% reduction while preserving all domain-specific legal content and table structures
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