Grand jury

A grand jury is a type of common law jury; responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments if they believe that there is enough evidence for a trial to proceed. A grand jury is distinguished from a petit jury, which is used during trial; the names refer to their respective sizes (typically 25 and 12 members respectively).

Related Topics:
Common law - Jury - Crime - Evidence - Indictments

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Where they exist, grand juries are part of the system of checks and balances, preventing a case from going to trial on a prosecutor's bare word: an impartial panel of citizens must first decide whether there exists reasonable cause or probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed. To this end witnesses can be compelled to testify before them. Unlike the trial itself, the grand jury's proceedings are secret; the defendant and his or her counsel are generally not present for other witnesses' testimony. The grand jury's decision is either "true bill" (i.e. there is a case to answer) or "no true bill."

Related Topics:
Checks and balances - Reasonable cause - Probable cause - Witness - Defendant - Counsel

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Britain abandoned grand juries in the 1930s, and today fewer than half of the states in the U.S. employ them. Most jurisdictions have abolished grand juries, replacing them with the preliminary hearing at which a Judge hears evidence concerning the alleged offenses and makes a decision on whether the prosecution can proceed. However, grand juries are still used in a number of U.S. jurisdictions.

Related Topics:
Britain - U.S. - Preliminary hearing - Judge

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