Trial is a court process where the facts of a criminal case are presented to a jury and they decide whether the accused person is guilty or not. The prosecution must prove each of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt to convict the accused person. The defense can present witnesses and evidence as well. After both sides present their evidence, the judge gives the jury instructions on how to decide the case. The jury then goes to a private room for deliberations. The verdict must be unanimous; a split decision means the person is not guilty.
The jury is made up of twelve people who are randomly selected from the jury pool (also known as the venire). The prosecution and defense attorneys make opening statements. These are brief explanations by the attorneys of what they expect their evidence to prove. Then the prosecution begins to question witnesses and the defendant’s attorney can cross-examine each witness. The defense can also object to questions and to evidence being presented to the jury.
After the prosecutor and defense have finished presenting their cases, both sides give closing arguments. These are not evidence but summaries of their viewpoints of what happened. Then the jury listens to the judge’s charge to the jury, which includes a legal definition of what a crime is and what kinds of evidence the jury should consider. Then the jury goes to a private room to discuss the case and vote on whether the person is guilty of each charge.
About the Author
