Indictment
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (January 2022) |
An indictment (
Australia
Canada
A direct indictment is one in which the case is sent directly to trial before a preliminary inquiry is completed or when the accused has been discharged by a preliminary inquiry.[3][4] It is meant to be an extraordinary, rarely used power to ensure that those who should be brought to trial are in a timely manner or where an error of judgment is seen to have been made in the preliminary inquiry.[5] In the aftermath of the 2016 Jordan decision, in which the Supreme Court of Canada imposed time limits on the Crown to bring criminal cases to trial, the Crown has started to use the procedure more frequently.[6]
United Kingdom
England and Wales
In England and Wales (except in private prosecutions by individuals) an indictment is issued by the public prosecutor (in most cases this will be the Crown Prosecution Service) on behalf of the Crown, which is the nominal plaintiff in all public prosecutions under English law. This is why a public
All proceedings on indictment must be brought before the
As to the form of an indictment, see the
The Indictment Rules 1971 were revoked by the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2007[9] (on the whole) incorporated into the Criminal Procedure Rules 2010.[10] The form and content and the service of an indictment are governed by Rule 14 of the CPR 2012.[11] Additional guidance is contained in the Consolidated Criminal Practice Direction Part IV.34.[12]
As to the preferring of a bill of indictment and the signing of an indictment, see section 2 of the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1933 and the Indictments (Procedure) Rules 1971 (S.I. 1971/2084) made thereunder, as amended and modified by the Indictments (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 1983 (S.I. 1983/284), the Indictments (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 1988 (S.I. 1988/1783), the Indictments (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 1992 (S.I. 1992/284), the Indictments (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 1997 (S.I. 1997/711), the Indictments (Procedure) (Modification) Rules 1998 (S.I. 1998/3045) and the Indictments (Procedure) (Amendment) Rules 2000 (S.I. 2000/3360).
Northern Ireland
See the Indictments Act (Northern Ireland) 1945.[13][14]
Scotland
In Scotland, all of these cases brought in the High Court of Justiciary are brought in the name of the Lord Advocate and will be tried on indictment. In a sheriff court where trials proceed using the solemn proceedings they will also be tried on indictment and are brought in the name of the Lord Advocate. All solemn indictments are designed in the manner Her (or His) Majesty's Advocate v Smith, or, more frequently HMA v Smith.
United States
The
In many jurisdictions that use grand juries, prosecutors often have a choice between seeking an indictment from a grand jury and filing a charging document directly with the court.[17] Such a document is usually called an information, accusation, or complaint, to distinguish it from a grand-jury indictment. To protect the suspect's due process rights in felony cases (where the suspect's interest in liberty is at stake), there is usually a preliminary hearing, at which a judge determines whether there was probable cause to arrest the suspect who is in custody. If the judge finds such probable cause, they bind, or hold over, the suspect for trial.[17]
The substance of an indictment or other charging instrument is usually the same, regardless of the jurisdiction: it consists of a short and plain statement of where, when, and how the defendant allegedly committed the offense. Each offense is usually set out in a separate count. Indictments for complex crimes, particularly those involving
Indictable offenses are tried by jury, unless the accused waives the right to a jury trial. Even though the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution mandates the right to a jury trial in any criminal prosecution, the vast majority of criminal cases in the US are resolved by the plea-bargaining process.[17]
Types
A sealed indictment stays non-public, for various reasons, until it is unsealed (for example, once the indicted is arrested or notified by police).[18] A superseding indictment takes the place of the previously active one. A speaking indictment goes beyond the legally required statement of the elements of the charged crime(s) and also includes a narrative of the alleged underlying acts in more detail.
See also
- Arraignment – Formal reading of the offence to a criminal defendant
- Complaint – Legal document, the filing of which initiates a lawsuit
- Criminal charge – Formal accusation of wrongdoing in common law
- Duplicity (law) – Legal term
- Preliminary hearing – Type of legal proceeding that precedes a trial
References
- ^ "indictment". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ Fricke, Graham. "Trial by Jury". Research Papers 1996-97. No. 11. Australian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Criminal Code, Revised Statutes of Canada 1985, c. C-46, Section 577". Department of Justice, Canada. 2008-10-09. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Direct Indictments" (PDF). Crown Policy Manual. Province of Ontario, Ministry of Attorney General. 2005-03-21. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ "Direct Indictments". The Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook. Department of Justice, Canada. 2008-04-04. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ Hasham, Alyshah (October 16, 2016). "Courts scramble under new rules on trial delays". Toronto Star.
- ^ "Understanding UK Case Law" (PDF). Soas.ac.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2017. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Senior Courts Act 1981". Opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "The Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2007". Legislation.gov.uk. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Rules and Practice Directions". Justice.gov.uk. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "The Criminal Procedure Rules 2012". Legislation.gov.uk. 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Part IV: Further Practice Directions Applying in The Crown Court – Criminal Procedure Rules". Justice.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Indictments Act (Northern Ireland) 1945". Legislation.gov.uk. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ^ "Can A Felon Vote in Northern Ireland". felony. 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ Hurtado v. California, 110 U.S. 516 (1884).
- ^ Taylor, Daniel (2019-03-21). "Which States Use Criminal Grand Juries?". FindLaw. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ OCLC 1163600897.
- ^ "Sealed Indictment Law and Legal Definition". USLegal. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
External links
- Crime and Justice at Curlie