Bringing the Charge Criminal charges are brought against a person in one of three ways: Through an indictment voted by a grand jury. Through the filing of an information by the prosecuting attorney (also […]
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Arrest Procedures When an officer arrests someone, the accused is taken into custody. Similarly, when a grand jury returns an indictment or a prosecutor files an information, a judge or
Pre-trial Court Appearances in a Criminal Case It’s especially difficult to generalize about this subject, since so much depends on a particular state’s procedures, whether it typically uses a grand
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Bail Bail is the amount of money defendants must post to be released from custody until their trial. Bail is not a fine. It is not supposed to be used
Plea Bargaining Many criminal cases are resolved out of court by having both sides come to an agreement. This process is known as negotiating a plea or plea bargaining. In
Officers of the Court The judge presides in the courtroom. If a case is tried before a jury, the judge rules on points of law and gives instructions to the jury, informing
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