What is Criminal procedure?
[[File:Eo-scale2.png|thumb|right|200px]] '''Criminal procedure''' refers to the rules that determine how the courts will process a criminal [[trial]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/criminal-procedure.html |title=Criminal procedure |publisher=WebFinance, Inc. |access-date=22 October 2015 |archive-date=17 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317221346/http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/criminal-procedure.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> While criminal procedure differs by [[jurisdiction]], the process generally begins with a formal [[criminal charge]] and results in the [[Wikt:conviction|conviction]] or [[wikt:acquittal|acquittal]] of the [[defendant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Criminal_Procedure.aspx |title=Criminal Procedure |publisher=Encyclopedia.com/Cengage Learning|access-date=22 October 2015}}</ref> ==Basic rights== Many countries have a [[Democracy|democratic system]] and use the [[rule of law]]. There are a number of common principles. In a [[criminal]] case the burden of proof is on the [[prosecution]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basics/criminal-trials-who-has-the-burden-of-proof.html |title=Criminal Trials – Who Has the Burden of Proof? |publisher=Lawyers.com |access-date=22 October 2015}}</ref> That means it is up to the prosecution to prove that the defendant is guilty beyond any [[reasonable doubt]].<ref>David C. Brody; James R. Acker, ''Criminal Law'' (Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2010), p. 21</ref> This is opposed to having the [[defendant]] prove he or she is innocent. It also means any doubt is resolved in favor of the defendant. This [[wikt:provision|provision]] is known as the [[presumption of innocence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/presumption_of_innocence |title=presumption of innocence |publisher=Cornell University Law School |access-date=22 October 2015}}</ref> If charged with a [[felony]], defendants have the following basic r