Grand Jury Research Paper

There are two types of juries that are used in federal court proceedings and trials. The jury of a court can either be a grand jury or a trial jury. Said juries are used in a variety of ways and under certain conditions. The grand jury decides whether there was enough probable cause to send the suspect to trial. If the grand jury decided that indeed there was a sufficient amount of incriminating evidence that could prove the guilt of the suspect, the arrestee is then indicted and taken to arraignment. At the arraignment, the defendant will be informed of the charges that he or she is being prosecuted for. The accused will also then be required to plead either guilty or not guilty. If the defendant pleads not guilty and does not pursue a plea …show more content…
A grand jury is a group of people that have been called by the court to decide to or not to indict a suspect when presented with testimonies from the prosecutor’s witnesses, evidence against the defendant, and the prosecutor’s statement. The grand jury is only allowed to indict a suspect if they believe probable cause has been presented – this does not prove the innocence or guilt of the suspect; however it does mean that the suspect could be charged and sentenced in a following trial. At a grand jury court hearing, the suspect is not allowed to say his or her side of the alleged criminal act that they participated in. The defense attorney is also not allowed to present his or her argument or evidence that may sway the jurors to believe in the suspect’s innocence. However, the prosecutor may question the suspect on the witness stand. In contrast, the purpose of a trial jury is to determine the innocence or guilt of a person that has already been indicted by a grand jury or a preliminary hearing has found information. A trial jury is a group of people called upon by the courts to hear testimonies from the defense and the prospector, thus allowing the idea of “innocent until proven guilty” back into the courtroom. The jury of a trial can either convict or acquit the defendant, depending on the ruling of the …show more content…
A grand jury can have as many as sixteen to 23 jurors. On the contrary, a jury trial is allowed to have as little as six to twelve jurors. An additional difference between the types of juries is the duration of need in which a juror must be present in certain court sessions. In a grand jury, a juror will serve as long as the court proceedings of a defendant lasts, which may take up to eighteen months. On a trial jury, a juror usually only partakes in a single trial. The typical duration of a jury trial is less than ten days. Furthering the differences between a grand jury and a trial jury is the allowance of the public into the courtroom. A grand jury allows only the members of the court to be present when court is in session, whereas a trial jury allows the public into the courtroom (not as