Criminal charge

A criminal charge is a formal accusation made by a governmental authority asserting that somebody has committed a crime. A charging document, which contains one or more criminal charges or counts, can take several forms, including:

• complaint
• information
• indictment

The charging document is what generally starts a criminal case in court, but the procedure by which somebody is charged with a crime, and what happens when somebody has been charged, varies from country to country.

Before a person is proven guilty the charge must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.^[1] Beyond a reasonable doubt is when the charges are proven true and that there is no other possible explanation except that the defendant committed the crime.

Punishments

There can be multiple punishments due to certain criminal charges. Minor criminal charges such as misdemeanors, tickets, and infractions do not have that harsh of punishments. The judge usually sentences the person accused of committing the charges right after the hearing. The punishments usually include things like fines, suspension, probation, a small amount of jail time, or alcohol and drug classes. If the criminal charges are considered more serious like a felony then there is a more lengthy process for determining the punishment. Felonies include the most serious crimes such as murder and treason. There is a separate trial to determine the punishments for the criminal charges committed.^[2]

Rights when facing criminal charges

In the United States, people facing criminal charges in any situation are given rights by the Constitution.^[3] These are the Miranda Rights and they are read to anyone facing criminal charges. These rights include things like the right to remain silent, habeas corpus, and the right to an attorney. It is important for someone facing criminal charges to know their rights so they can take the proper action using their rights. The officer arresting the person facing the criminal charges will have to read the following rights: You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer any questions, anything you do say may be used against you in the court of law, you have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future, if you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish, and if you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney.^[3]

Prosecution

Many people avoid criminal charges by staying out of the state where they committed the crime. A person facing criminal charges is always prosecuted in the state where they committed the charges.^[4] A person may be able to get away with minor violations like a ticket, but they will not be able to hide from something like a misdemeanor or a felony. There are about sixty criminal charges that are considered more serious that people face every day. These charges can range from less serious actions like shoplifting or vandalism; all the way to murder.^[5]

Reckoning

A person may not even know if they were charged. If they are worried they may have been charged with a crime they can contact an attorney to find out if they were charged. A police officer may also charge someone after they investigate the possible crime they committed.^{[2][1][2][3][4][5][6]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt". http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Beyond+a+Reasonable+Doubt. Retrieved April 14, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Larson, Aaron. "Criminal Charges". Law Offices of Aaron Larson. http://www.expertlaw.com/library/criminal/criminal_charges.html. Retrieved April 18, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "The Miranda Waring". http://www.usconstitution.net/miranda.html. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Criminal Procedure". http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/Criminal_procedure. Retrieved April 7, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Crimes A-Z". http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/a-z/. Retrieved April 14, 2011. 
6. ^ "The American Bar Assocaition". The Police & Your Rights. http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_issues_for_consumers/criminal_law/the_police_your_rights.html. Retrieved April 7, 2011.