Massachusetts General Laws ch. 212 sec. 7 – Indictments; transmittal
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Section 7. The clerk of the courts for the county in which an indictment for a capital crime has been entered, or, in the county of Suffolk, the clerk of the superior court for criminal business, shall forthwith send notice thereof, with a copy of the indictment, to the chief or first justice of the court and to the attorney general. An indictment for a felony offense shall be accompanied by the offense-based tracking number and fingerprint-based state identification number of the defendant when the corresponding charges result from an arrest. Any justice of said court may thereupon appoint a time for the arraignment of the prisoner, which shall take place either at a regular sitting or on a day specially assigned therefor.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 212 sec. 7
- Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.