Indictment

An indictment ( /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/ in-DYT-mənt), in the common law system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an offence that requires an indictment.

In most common law jurisdictions, an indictment was handed up by a grand jury, which returned a "true bill" if it found cause to make the charge, or "no bill" if it did not find cause. The right of one accused of a felony or serious crime to have the charges reviewed for probable cause by a grand jury before being tried by a petit jury, except for certain cases tried in courts-martial, is secured by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, but this has been abolished in most parts of the world.