what is a grand jury, and what are the differences.?

Answer 1

A grand jury as some have said in here are usually 12 people who sit and hear the evidence the state has and they determine if there is enough evidence to let a case to proceed to trial. They do not decide guilt or innocents just of there is enough evidence. They only hear the evidence from the prosecution's side.

A jury hears the evidence in the case brought by both sides (prosecution and defense) and they decide guilt or innocents

The main difference is that a grand jury only decides if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial while a regular jury decides guilt or innocents.

The grand Jury only hears evidence from the prosecution and the defense/suspect has no right to present evidence to the grand jury and the suspect does not have the right to confront his accusers with a grand jury while a regular jury hears both sides and the suspect has the right to confront his accusers

Also a grand jury member usually serves on it for 1 year while a regular jury member serves for a short time 3 to 10 days depending on the trial.

Answer 2

A grand jury is group of citizens convened in a criminal case to consider the prosecutor's evidence and determine whether probable cause exists to prosecute a suspect for a felony.

A "jury" is a group of 12 citizens chosen by the court to determine the innocence or guilt of the person on trial.

Answer 3

A Grand Jury is a group of (usually) 12 jurors that decide whether the state has enough evidence to bring charges against you.
A regular Jury is the one that decides whether you are guilty of that crime or not.
A grand jury does NOT have the power to send you to jail, or impose any criminal sanctions on you whatsoever. But a regular jury does have that power.

Answer 4

Federal grand juries are usually 23 people, not twelve. The states that use grand juries might use a smaller number.