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Rule 602 – Presence of the Defendant

May 14, 2021 | Criminal Procedure, Pennsylvania

(A) The defendant shall be present at every stage of the trial including the impaneling of the jury and the return of the verdict, and at the imposition of sentence, except as otherwise provided by this rule. The defendant’s absence without cause at the time scheduled for the start of trial or during trial shall not preclude proceeding with the trial, including the return of the verdict and the imposition of sentence.
(B) A corporation may appear by its attorney for all purposes.

234 Pa. Code ยง 602

Committee Explanatory Reports:

Final Report explaining the October 28, 1994 amendments published with the Court’s Order at 24 Pa.B. 5841 (November 26, 1994).

Final Report explaining the March 1, 2000 reorganization and renumbering of the rules published with the Court’s Order at 30 Pa.B. 1478 (March 18, 2000).

Final Report explaining the December 8, 2000 amendments published with the Court’s Order at 30 Pa.B. 6546 (December 23, 2000).

Final Report explaining the September 21, 2012 revision to the second paragraph of the Comment correcting a typographical error published with the Court’s Order at 42 Pa.B. 6251 (October 6, 2012).

Final Report explaining the May 2, 2013 amendments concerning trials conducted in the defendant’s absence published with the Court’s Order at 43 Pa.B. 2710 (May 18, 2013).