What is an indictment and the grand jury?
The New Jersey Constitution requires that the State present your case to a grand jury before trying, convicting and sentencing you. A grand jury meets in secret. For each case in which the prosecutor seeks an indictment, he or she presents evidence before the grand jury from which the grand jury will decide whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime occurred. If there is probable cause, then the grand jury returns an indictment, which is merely a formal charge against the person.
