What is a prosecution?
Once the police arrest and charge someone for committing a crime, the County Prosecutor and Assistant Prosecutors examine the evidence against the person and decide if he or she should be brought to court to be punished. At this stage, the person charged is called the accused. If the Prosecutor and his or her staff decide that there is enough evidence, they bring the matter before a Grand Jury. A Grand Jury is a group of citizens who review the evidence gathered by police and decide if there is enough reason to make the accused go to trial. If the Grand Jury decides that there is not enough evidence the charges are dismissed. If the Grand Jury decides that there is enough evidence, the accused is charged or indicted for the crime and has to appear in court. Once indicted, the person accused is called the defendant. If the defendant admits the crime, he or she pleads guilty to it and is sentenced by a judge.
