What is the difference between a grand jury and a trial jury in criminal defense law?

In Indiana, grand juries and trial juries are both important components of the criminal defense process. The major difference between the two is that grand juries determine whether there is a sufficient amount of evidence to bring charges against a person while trial juries determine whether the accused individual is guilty or innocent of the alleged charges. Grand juries are comprised of a select group of citizens that have been randomly chosen by the court. These jurors are tasked with reviewing evidence presented by the prosecuting attorney to determine if probable cause exists that the accused is guilty. If probable cause is found, the grand jury will issue an indictment which will allow the case to move forward to trial. Grand juries typically do not reach any actual verdict. On the other hand, trial juries are made up of a much larger group of 12 to 24 citizens who are presented with arguments and evidence by both sides during the trial. After hearing all of the evidence, the trial jury will then decide if the accused is guilty or innocent of the charges. Depending on the jurisdiction, a minimum number of jurors must agree on the verdict for it to be considered valid. Overall, it is important to understand the distinction between grand juries and trial juries in the criminal defense process. Grand juries are used to decide whether or not there is enough evidence to bring charges while trial juries are used to determine if the accused is guilty or innocent of the alleged crime.

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