Final answer:
The defendant may be surrendered to the appropriate authority before a Failure to Appear (FTA), through extradition processes between states. Plea bargaining and defendant competency are also critical components in the legal process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anytime before a Failure to Appear (FTA) in court, the defendant may be surrendered according to the principles of extradition between states, which is described by the clause stating that a person charged with treason, felony, or other crime who flees justice from one state and is found in another can, upon the demand of the executive authority of the state from which they fled, be delivered up and removed to the state with jurisdiction over the crime.
Furthermore, enhancements to the judicial process are observed in practices such as plea bargaining, where a defendant may plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a reduced sentence or other concessions, requiring the defendant to admit guilt in open court and waive the right to an appeal.
The competency of the defendant also plays a critical role in the legal process, ensuring that the defendant is capable of standing trial or entering a plea, which is a constitutional right affirmed through significant case law such as Dusky v. United States, Rogers v. Okin, Ford v. Wainwright, and Godinez v. Moran.