What does it mean when someone is indicted?
A grand jury decides to indict
A grand jury is a group of citizens who are sworn to secrecy and tasked with hearing evidence and deciding whether or not to indict, or charge, a person with a crime. Indictment is the formal charging instrument used by the US Department of Justice to bring federal criminal charges against a defendant. Securing an indictment from a grand jury is an important stage in the federal criminal process, as it means that the government has presented enough evidence to convince a group of citizens that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a crime.A trial jury determines guilt or non-guilt
A trial jury is a group of citizens who are sworn to hear evidence and decide whether or not a defendant is guilty of a crime. A trial jury is different from a grand jury in that it is tasked with determining guilt or innocence, while a grand jury is only tasked with deciding whether or not to indict a person with a crime.When a person is indicted in a criminal court in the United States, it means that a grand jury composed of residents chosen at random believed that there was probable cause to believe that the person committed a crime. The indictment is the formal charging instrument that initiates the criminal case and sets forth the specific charges against the defendant.
After a person is indicted, they will be arraigned, which is a hearing where they are formally charged with the crime and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the case will proceed to trial. At trial, the prosecution will present evidence to prove that the defendant is guilty of the crime, and the defense will present evidence to prove that the defendant is not guilty. The jury will then deliberate and decide whether or not the defendant is guilty.
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