What legal document formally charges someone with a crime?

What legal document formally charges someone with a crime?

• A. Complaint
• B. Indictment
• C. Arraignment
• D. Warrant

Answer: (B)

In criminal law, the formal charging document typically used for more serious offenses is an indictment. It is issued by a grand jury after reviewing evidence and names the defendant with a specific crime, starting the formal prosecution. A complaint or information can also start charges, but those are not the grand-jury-driven, formal accusation used in felony cases. Arraignment is the court session where the defendant learns the charges and enters a plea, not the charging document itself. A warrant, on the other hand, authorizes arrest or search and does not constitute a charge. So the document that formally charges someone with a crime is an indictment.

In criminal law, the formal charging document typically used for more serious offenses is an indictment. It is issued by a grand jury after reviewing evidence and names the defendant with a specific crime, starting the formal prosecution. A complaint or information can also start charges, but those are not the grand-jury-driven, formal accusation used in felony cases. Arraignment is the court session where the defendant learns the charges and enters a plea, not the charging document itself. A warrant, on the other hand, authorizes arrest or search and does not constitute a charge. So the document that formally charges someone with a crime is an indictment.