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Terms Used In Alabama Code 13A-5-56

  • 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.
  • Jury instructions: A judge's directions to the jury before it begins deliberations regarding the factual questions it must answer and the legal rules that it must apply. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.

The Alabama Supreme Court shall promulgate pattern indictment forms for use in cases in which indictments charging offenses defined in Section 13A-5-40(a) are thereafter returned. The Alabama Supreme Court shall also promulgate pattern verdict forms and pattern jury instructions for the trial and sentencing aspects of cases tried thereafter under this article, insofar as such verdicts and instructions relate to the particularities of cases tried under this article.