Criminal Trial in the USQ
Criminal Trial in the USQ is the procedure and system for judging and trying a person for a supposed crime in The United States of Quentin. The trial system was created in 1834 with the signing of The Constitution of the United States of Quentin, which established how all criminal trials should be held. The term criminal trials includes all judicial cases that have been brought up by the police or government, but does not include cases brought up by citizens, like financial cases, will disputes, and lawsuits.
The trial process is similar to other processes on the Asper continent, and must start with a charge by the military, government, police, or other public authority. The crime must then be analyzed, the accused held until a date can be set, and the trial set in motion.
Process
The criminal trial process in the USQ begins with a charge of a crime from either the police, military, government, or other public authority. The charged will then be issued an NCA, or notice of accusation, which comes from the United States of Quentin Directory of Laws, in Title III. This notice informs the accused of their crime, and orders them not to leave the state they were accused in until trial in either a local-level court, state-level court, or a federal-level court, depending on the crime committed as stated in the Constitution and the United States of Quentin Federal Criminal Code.
Court Procedure
Once their trial day comes, the accused is transported from their prison to the courthouse, and taken to the Defendant Preparation Chamber. There, they will be guarded by the bailiff until the lawyers and judges are ready. Then they will be taken out, seated, and the trial will begin. To start the trial, the judge or judges will begin the case by asking for any opinionated opening (OO) from the lawyers, with the defense going first, then will ask for any witnesses the two sides have to present, with the prosecution going first. The defense can cross question their witness after the prosecution does, and when they're done the prosecution can re-question them, going back and forth until both sides are satisfied. This process will go on for as many witnesses as both sides have.
Then the judge or judges will ask for the conclusions of both sides, with the defense going last. Finally, the judge or judges will exit to their Judges Chamber and make a decision on the case. They will decide if they should find the accused guilty or innocent. Once they do, the judge or judges will come back out to the courtroom and announce their decision. If the accused is found guilty, they'll be taken to jail, either a Quentinian Federal Prison, Quentinian State Prison, or a Quentinian Local Prison depending on the verdict, or fined, depending on the verdict.
