Without a grand jury indictment, the prosecutor has to demonstrate to the trial judge that she has enough evidence to continue with the case. However, with a grand jury indictment, the prosecutor can skip that step and proceed directly to trial.
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/how-does-a-grand-jury-work.html
But in practice, the prosecutor who runs the grand jury has a great deal of influence in orchestrating the outcome. A well-worn saying is that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. The grand jury that was to begin hearing evidence in the shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson is a St. Louis County grand jury. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch is in charge although his office has said that an assistant will actually be in the grand jury room.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/whats-grand-jury-how-will-it-work-ferguson-case
Yes, if the attorney general decides that an important federal interest was not vindicated by the state prosecution and that there is enough evidence that Wilson intended to violated Brown’s constitutional rights. The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to a grand jury.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/whats-grand-jury-how-will-it-work-ferguson-case
Regular court trial juries are usually 6 or 12 people, but in the federal system, a grand jury can be 16 to 23 people. The grand jury is one of the first procedures in a criminal trial, if used at all.
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/how-does-a-grand-jury-work.html
The grand jury plays an important role in the criminal process, but not one that involves a finding of guilt or punishment of a party. Instead, a prosecutor will work with a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against a potential defendant -- usually reserved for serious felonies.
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/how-does-a-grand-jury-work.html
The purpose of a grand jury, in theory, is to protect citizens against unfair and unwarranted prosecutions by the government. In medieval England, it was viewed as a protection against the Crown.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/whats-grand-jury-how-will-it-work-ferguson-case
Grand juries are used to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to charge a person with a crime. The use of grand juries helps to make sure that cases move forward in the court system in an efficient manner.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/grand-jury-definition-process-purpose.html
List names and purposes of 9 pretrial motions. To dismiss-have indictment/information, some or all charges dismissed. To Suppress Evidence-prevent use of evidence at trial. To sever-separate charges or defendants. For Discovery-To obtain items from other party. For Change of Venue-Change court for fair trial.
https://quizlet.com/11432159/ch-13-pretrial-flash-cards/
witness-a person who is called to provide information but is in no way suspected of wrongdoing. subject witness-witness that may be involved in some wrongdoing but not the focus of the investigation. target witness-specific focus of the investigation.
https://quizlet.com/11432159/ch-13-pretrial-flash-cards/
In such an instance, a grand jury is used to ensure that there is enough evidence for the police to proceed. A grand jury is a group of individuals who determine whether there is warranted reason to charge a person for a crime. If the grand jury decides that there is sufficient evidence that the person committed a crime, the grand jury will issue an indictment.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/grand-jury-definition-process-purpose.html
what is the purpose of a grand jury
The purpose of the grand jury is to protect citizens against unfair and unwarranted prosecutions by the government.