Criminal procedure encompasses the rules and processes through which the government enforces criminal law while protecting the constitutional rights of the accused. Key procedural protections include the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and a speedy trial, and the Fourteenth Amendment due process and equal protection guarantees. Criminal procedure determines what evidence is admissible, how defendants are charged and arraigned, what hearings must occur before trial, and what rights apply at sentencing. State legislatures may add procedural protections beyond the federal constitutional floor.