Editing Grand jury (section)

=== Criminal ===
The function of a grand jury is to accuse persons who may be guilty of a crime, but the institution is also a shield against unfounded and oppressive prosecution. It is a means for lay citizens, representative of the community, to participate in the administration of justice. It can also make presentments on crime and maladministration in its area. Traditionally, a grand jury consists of 23 members.

The mode of accusation is by a written statement of two types:
# in solemn form ([[indictment]]) describing the offense with proper accompaniments of time and circumstances, and certainty of act and person, or 
# by a less formal mode, which is usually the spontaneous act of the grand jury, called presentment.<ref name=Blackstone1>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/commentariesonl00baylgoog/page/n642/mode/2up |first1=John Bethune |last1=Bayly |first2=William |last2=Blackstone |author-link2=William Blackstone |date=1840 |title=Commentaries on the Laws of England |chapter=Book 4, Ch. 23: Of the Several Modes of Prosecution |location=London, UK |publisher=Sanders & Benning |page=586}}</ref>

No indictment or presentment can be made except by concurrence of at least twelve of the jurors. The grand jury may accuse upon their own knowledge, but it is generally done upon the testimony of witnesses under oath and other evidence heard before them. Grand jury proceedings are, in the first instance, held at the instigation of the government or other prosecutors, and are done [[ex parte]] and in secret deliberation. The accused has no knowledge of nor right to interfere with their proceedings.<ref name=britcyclop>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrcTAAAAQAAJ&q=grand+jury&pg=PA590 |first=Charles F. |last=Partington |author-link=Charles F. Partington |date=1836 |title=British Cyclopedia of Literature, History, Geography, Law, and Politics |chapter=Jury, Trial by |volume=2 |location=London, UK |publisher=Orr & Smith |page=591}}</ref>

If they find the accusation true, which is usually drawn up in form by the prosecutor or an officer of the court, they write upon the indictment the words "a true bill" which is signed by the foreperson of the grand jury and presented to the court publicly in the presence of all the jurors. If the indictment is not proven to the satisfaction of the grand jury, the word ''[[Wiktionary:ignoramus|ignoramus]]''{{efn|In [[Latin language|Latin]], ''ignoramus'' literally means "we are ignorant of" or "we do not know" – in the context of a Grand Jury it effectively means "we do not know of any reason why this person should be indicted on these charges". This use of ''ignoramus'' long predates its more common English meaning of an ignorant person or dunce.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}}} or "not a true bill" is written upon it by the grand jury, or by their foreman and then said to be ignored, and the accusation is dismissed as unfounded; the potential defendant is said to have been "no-billed" by the grand jury. If the grand jury returns an indictment as a true bill (''billa vera''), the indictment is said to be founded and the party to stand indicted and required to be put on trial.<ref name=harris1>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/principlescrimi00agabgoog/page/n7/mode/2up |chapter=Book 3, Chapter VII: The Grand Jury |first=Seymour F. |last=Harris |date=1896 |title=Principles of the Criminal Law |edition=7th |location=London, UK |publisher=Stevens & Haynes |page=358}}</ref>