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. 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.
Read more about Criminal Charge: Punishments, Rights When Facing Criminal Charges, Prosecution, Reckoning
Famous quotes containing the words criminal and/or charge:
“The criminal is quite frequently not equal to his deed: he belittles and slanders it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“What art thou that usurp’st this time of night,
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the majesty of buried Denmark
Did sometimes march? By heaven I charge thee speak!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)