Most of the citizens have never found themselves on the wrong side of the law hence have never had a chance of having a case to answer. There those of us who think the process of conviction is simple like we see in the movies whereby the suspected is arrested by law enforcer and then they appear in court soon. To ensure that you get the process of conviction well you need to know some basic facts about indictment. The article below will focus on the things that you should know about indictment that will be necessary and will help you get to understand the process followed when one has a case to answer in court.
You have ever come across the saying that you are innocent until the judge prove that you are guilty of that crime. Therefore indictment is the process when you are suspected of committing a crime based on the evidence that is there. In some states that have not passed the indictment law, the judicial system does not need an indictment in your trial. And for those states like Ohio, Texas, and Massachusetts that have passed that vital law, the indictment is used when you have serious crimes which can lead to imprisonment or death penalty to answer. The law does not state when you should start facing indictment during the trail. In some cases, the law enforcers have to arrest you and then request indictment on your case, while in some jurisdiction the police will be required to get the indictment before arresting you.
The only question everyone should ask themselves who is responsible for indicating who should face the indictment. The grand jury is the body responsible for the indictment in any case and comprises of people who have been appointed by the prosecution. There should be enough evidence to ensure that you are facing indictment and the prosecution selects those in the grand jury body. There are different ways that you can find yourself in the grand jury and one been through an invitation from the prosecutor. With the invitation it means that someone should refer the prosecutor to you and therefore an invitation will be sent you. Another way is by selection just like when you are applying for a job in an organization. The capability of an individual will determine whether the prosecution will select them into the grand jury.
Based on the evidence the prosecution will determine if you should be facing indictment. Facing indictment does not mean that you are guilty of the crimes that you have been accused.