Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office

Criminal prosecution generally begins with the Screening Team. The attorneys and paralegals making up the Screening Team are responsible to receive, review, and prepare charging documents in the majority of cases brought to the DA’s Office by law enforcement. Once a case has been investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agency, that agency brings the case to the DA’s Office for review. The screening staff reviews the circumstances of the case and determines what charges to file. The screening division then prepares charging documents for filing with the courts.  

There are two screening teams in the District Attorney’s Office. The main screening unit processes the adult cases filed with the Matheson Courthouse, and the West Jordan screening unit processes the cases filed with the West Jordan Courthouse. Additionally, the Juvenile, Special Victims, and Domestic Violence teams use their specialized expertise to screen the sensitive cases they prosecute.