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Criminal Crimes And Criminal Justice

Decent Essays

Bail is the next step of the process and the suspect may try to get bail, “ Bail is an amount of money or other security that is designed to insure a criminal defendant 's return to court if released from jail. Although bail may be reconsidered at any stage in the criminal process, this is usually the first opportunity to set it (Wright, 2012). A judge can also deny bail if the crime is very serious, or if they are considered a risk and if they have a criminal history.

In some cases the prosecutor leaves it to grand juries to decide whether charges should be filed. Grand juries are similar to regular trial juries. They are made up of randomly selected individuals. “A grand jury consists of between 16 to 23 citizens who have the duty, after reviewing the evidence, to vote on a proposed criminal charge. Generally, the grand jury hears evidence only from the government. In order for a person to be indicted, at least 12 members of the grand jury must find that there is probable cause to believe that the person to be charged committed the crime or crimes to be charged. Grand juries meet in secret proceedings, and decided whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.
“When a prosecutor brings a case to a grand jury, he presents the jurors with a "bill" (the charges) and introduces evidence -- usually the minimum necessary, in the prosecutor 's opinion -- to secure an indictment. The proceedings are secret; it is standard practice to call witnesses to testify against the

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