Everything you Need to Know About the Grand Jury Process
The United States of America and the Republic of Liberia are the only common law jurisdictions that employ a grand jury when it comes to screening criminal proceedings. The grand jury is meant to determine whether the charges hold water by investigating and analyzing the case along with their defendants. One of the possible outcomes of the jury process is an indictment that could either be sold or otherwise. The court might go ahead and proceed with the initial trial if the indictment is unsealed. You can read more about how the whole process works and the logic upon which it is based by reading more here.
Grand juries are in most cases reserved for felonies and potential federal cases. Although some states do not require the process to commence a state criminal proceeding most of them do. The amendment makes it mandatory whenever there are federal crimes involved in the lawsuit.
In a private trial, the grand jury and the sgt report is supposed to examine the case along with the evidence that has been collected and level with the testimonies of witnesses. This process is undertaken ex-parte reviewing the presentation of facts by the prosecutor. The prosecutor will move to trial if most members of the jury believe in issuing a formal indictment. The decision should be supported by a majority of the panel because that is how the jurisdiction states. If necessary, the jury may choose to keep the charges eliminated from the public. This is likely to happen if the case involves a high-profile suspect. The number of sealed indictments is a matter that has been received with a lot of speculation and debate. Unbiased perspectives such as the sgt report have become vital resources due to the spread of misinformation and conspirational nature of these cases.
The sgt report aims at ensuring that all the criminal proceedings against a person is carried out with diligence and probable evaluation of the cause. It also adds protection to the reputation of the suspects preventing them from being unfairly judged in the court of public opinion. The sgt report and the grand jury also establishes have space for witnesses to provide testimonies without the intimidating presence of the suspects. As a result, the prosecutor is able to truly test the evidence before investing their effort and resources required for the trial proceedings. The grand jury and the sgt report are only applicable to felonies.
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