An indictment is the formal written accusation that a person has committed a crime, typically presented by a grand jury and filed by a prosecutor. It serves as the official gateway between suspicion and trial, transforming informal investigation into state-sanctioned criminal proceedings. The parameters of indictment are: (1) it must name specific charges, (2) it must identify the accused, (3) it must be issued by competent authority (grand jury or prosecutor), and (4) it persists as a court record that triggers procedural rights and deadlines. The persistence mechanism is institutional — courts maintain indictment records, and the legal process operates on their authority.[formal: accusatio | substrate: behavior | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.54]
Accepted ontology entry
indictment
An indictment is the formal written accusation that a person has committed a crime, typically presented by a grand jury and filed by a prosecutor. It serves as the official gateway between suspicion and trial, transforming informal investi…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A formal legal document that charges a person with a serious crime, issued by a prosecutorial authority on behalf of the state. It is the human-made mechanism that initiates formal criminal prosecution, distinguishing accusatory process from mere suspicion.
Names and aliases
- indictmenten · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmr784r5e002bs126m1vdhxgkDEPENDS_ON →
An indictment is a formal legal charge — it needs law to exist as a concept and practice. Remove law and indictment ceases to operate. Constitutive, not merely facilitative.
- cmrxfh3oh0347soac4pn6r5h0INSTANCE_OF →
An indictment IS a specific kind of legal document — a formal accusation filed by a government. Direction specific→general per Law 9.
- cmrcm28k6002f9kqsh1ouarvaDEPENDS_ON →
An indictment requires a court system to operate — without courts (judicial institutions that receive and process formal charges), the indictment mechanism ceases to function. This passes the Law 8b removal test: remove courts and indictments stop operating (not merely stop being sayable). Distinguish from existing indictment DEPENDS_ON law: law provides the abstract framework, court provides the operational institution.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 17, 2026, 9:50 AM UTC
- Content hash
- ceb9d665ec5ba42a55e7fc68586adc13f50c975adae6025f804e2f0caf02d212