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Bringing the Charge

Criminal charges are brought against a person in one of three ways:

  1. Through an indictment voted by a grand jury.
  2. Through the filing of an information by the prosecuting attorney (also called the county, district, or state’s attorney) alleging that a crime was committed. Sometimes charges are pressed through the filing of a criminal complaint by another individual, which is essentially a petition to the district attorney asking him/her to initiate charges.
  3. Through a citation by a police officer for minor traffic offenses and the like. This procedure is usually used for certain petty misdemeanors and other minor criminal matters.

The charge must tell the time, date and place that the criminal act allegedly took place, the alleged involvement of the accused, and the details of the crime itself.