What is a Grand Jury?
A grand jury is a misunderstood part of the criminal justice process. In Georgia, if someone is alleged to have committed a felony, the district attorney will subpoena citizens from the community to form a grand jury. The grand jury gets together as a group, usually for several days in a row. At these meetings, the prosecutors present evidence to the grand jury that they believe establishes an individual’s guilt. It is then up to the grand jury to decide if there is enough evidence to bring formal charges against a person. If the grand jury concludes that there is sufficient evidence of a crime, they issue an indictment and the criminal case proceeds. If the grand jury determines that there is not enough evidence of a crime, then they recommend that the district attorney not prosecute the case.
As a Defendant, the grand jury proceedings are not usually open to you to attend. However, it is still vital to have the best criminal attorney that you can find if you believe that you may be indicted so that they can communicate with the district attorney and possibly prevent the case from even being presented to a grand jury.
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