Trial

Atrialis where two people or two groups of people argue in acourt.

Civil trial

In acivil trial,there is aplaintiffand adefendant.The plaintiff tries to prove that he or she has a reason why the defendant needs to give him or hermoney.

Criminal trial

In acriminal trial,there is aprosecutorand a defendant. The prosecutor works for thegovernmentand tries to prove that the defendant committed acrime.It often takes a long time to get a trial scheduled as the courts can be very busy. In theUnited States,Federal court can take up to 10 months to get a court date.

Judge

The judge controls the courtroom. He or she decides who speaks when, and they decide what evidence and arguments can be used. Sometimes, ajuryis brought in to determine whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. If there is no jury, the judge or judges decide whether the defendant is proven guilty or not. If the defendant is proven guilty of the crime, the judge will decide the punishment, which is also called the "sentence". If the crime is serious, the defendant may go toprisonor, in some countries, beexecuted.For smaller crimes, there is often afine—money that must be paid, in addition to having a criminal record.

Differences in each country

Trials are different in places where the laws are different. Different countries, cities and states all have different laws that change how trials happen. Trials in some places are very short. In some places, however, important trials can take as long as a few years while the two sides gather information and put together their arguments.

Related pages

• Right to a fair trial