The judicial process in a criminal case differs from a civil case in several important ways. At the beginning of a federal criminal case, the principal actors are the U.S. attorney (the prosecutor) and the grand jury. The U.S. attorney represents the United States in most court proceedings, including all criminal prosecutions. The grand jury reviews evidence presented by the U.S. attorney and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to require a defendant to stand trial.

在美国，刑事案件的司法程序与民事案件在多个重要方面有所不同。在联邦刑事案件开始之初，主要参与者是美国律师（检察官）和陪审团。在大多数法院程序，包括所有刑事诉讼中，美国律师均代表美国政府。大陪审团审查美国律师提供的证据，并确定是否有足够的证据要求被告进行审判。

After a person is arrested, a pretrial services or probation officer of the court immediately interviews the defendant and conducts an investigation of the defendant's background. The information obtained by the pretrial services or probation office will be used to help a judge decide whether to release the defendant into the community before trial, and whether to impose conditions of release. At an initial appearance, a judge advises the defendant of the charges filed, considers whether the defendant should be held in jail until trial, and determines whether there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and the defendant has committed it. Defendants who are unable to afford counsel are advised of their right to a court-appointed attorney. The court may appoint either a federal public defender or a private attorney who has agreed to accept such appointments from the court. In either type of appointment, the attorney will be paid by the court from funds appropriated by Congress. Defendants released into the community before trial may be required to obey certain restrictions, such as home confinement or drug testing, and to make periodic reports to a pretrial services officer to ensure appearance at trial.

某人被捕后，法院的审前服务或缓刑监督官立即会见被告，并对被告的背景进行调查。审前服务或缓刑办公室获得的信息将用于帮助法官决定是否在审判前将被告释放到社区，以及是否施加释放条件。在首次出庭，法官将所提起的指控告知被告，考虑是否应在审判前将其监禁，并确定是否有可能的理由相信犯罪已被实施，而且该被告就是犯人。不能负担起律师费用的被告会被告知他们有权获得法院指定的代理律师。法院可以任命一位同意接受法院任命的联邦公设辩护律师或私人律师。无论采用哪种任命方式，法院都会从国会拨款中支付任命律师的费用。在审判前被释放到社区中的被告，需要遵守某些限制条件，例如家庭监禁或药物检测，并定期向审前服务人员报告以确保可以出庭。

The defendant enters a plea to the charges brought by the U.S. attorney at a hearing known as an arraignment. Most defendants - more than 90% - plead guilty rather than go to trial. If a defendant pleads guilty in return for the government agreeing to drop certain charges or to recommend a lenient sentence, the agreement often is called a “plea bargain.” If the defendant pleads guilty, the judge may impose a sentence at that time， but more commonly will schedule a hearing to determine the sentence at a later date. In most felony cases the judge waits for the results of a presentence report, prepared by the court’s probation office, before imposing sentence. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the judge will proceed to schedule a trial.

被告对美国律师在提审听证会中提出的指控表示认罪。大多数被告（超过90％）都会选择认罪而不是受审。如果被告认罪以换取政府同意放弃某些指控或建议宽恕的判决，则该协议通常被称为“控辩交易”。如果被告认罪，法官可在当时判刑，不过更常见的是安排听证会，以决定以后的判决。在大多数重罪案件中，法官在判刑之前等待法院缓刑办公室准备的在场报告的结果。如果被告无罪，法官将继续安排审判。

Criminal cases include a limited amount of pretrial discovery proceedings similar to those in civil cases, with substantial restrictions to protect the identity of government informants and to prevent intimidation of witnesses. The attorneys also may file motions, which are requests for rulings by the court before the trial. For example, defense attorneys often file a motion to suppress evidence, which asks the court to exclude from the trial evidence that the defendant believes was obtained by the government in violation of the defendant's constitutional rights.

刑事案件包括与民事案件类似的审前发现程序（数量有限），以及对保护政府线人的身份和防止恐吓证人的实质性限制。律师也可以提出动议，这是法院在审判前要求作出裁定的请求。例如，辩护律师经常提出动议以压制证据，要求法院从审判中排除被告认为是政府违反被告的宪法权利而获得的证据。

In a criminal trial, the burden of proof is on the government. Defendants do not have to prove their innocence. Instead, the government must provide evidence to convince the jury of the defendant's guilt. The standard of proof in a criminal trial is proof “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which means the evidence must be so strong that there is no reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime.

在刑事审判中，举证责任在于政府。被告不必证明自己的无罪。相反，政府必须提供证据使陪审团相信被告有罪。刑事审判中的举证标准是“排除合理怀疑”，这意味着证据必须足够强大，以至于在证明被告人有罪方面不存在合理怀疑。

If a defendant is found not guilty, the defendant is released and the government may not appeal. Nor can the person be charged again with the same crime in a federal court. The Constitution prohibits “double jeopardy”, or being tried twice for the same offense.

如果认定被告无罪，则释放被告，政府不得上诉。也不会在联邦法院再次指控该人犯同样的罪行。美国宪法禁止“双重审判”，或禁止对同一罪行两次审判。

If the verdict is guilty, the judge determines the defendant's sentence according to special federal sentencing guidelines issued by the United States Sentencing Commission. The court's probation office prepares a report for the court that applies the sentencing guidelines to the individual defendant and the crimes for which he or she has been found guilty. During sentencing, the court may consider not only the evidence produced at trial, but all relevant information that may be provided by the pretrial services officer, the U.S. attorney, and the defense attorney. In unusual circumstances, the court may depart from the sentence calculated according to the sentencing guidelines.

如果判决有罪，则法官根据美国量刑委员会发布的特殊联邦判刑指南确定被告的刑期。法院的缓刑办公室为法院准备了一份报告，该报告将量刑指南适用于个人被告和其被裁定有罪的罪行。在量刑时，法院既考虑审判中产生的证据，还考虑由审前服务官、美国律师和辩护律师提供的所有相关信息。在特殊情况下，法院可能会偏离依量刑准则而定的判决。

A sentence may include time in prison, a fine to be paid to the government, and restitution to be paid to crime victims. The court's probation officers assist the court in enforcing any conditions that are imposed as part of a criminal sentence. The supervision of offenders also may involve services such as substance abuse testing and treatment programs, job counseling, and alternative detention options.

判刑内容可能包括入狱时间，向政府支付的罚款，以及向犯罪受害者支付的赔偿。法院的缓刑监督官协助法院执行作为刑事判决一部分而施加的任何条件。对罪犯的监督还可能涉及药物滥用检测和治疗计划，工作咨询以及其他拘留选择等服务。

英美法术语积累：

plea bargain | 控辩交易

指在刑事诉讼中，检察官与被告人进行谈判，说服被告人作有罪答辩，以换取检察官的指控或法院判决上的让步。通常做法是如果被告人承认犯有某一较轻的罪行，或者承认控方多项指控中的一项罪行，检查官可以对被告人降格指控，或者撤回对其他罪项的指控，或者建议法庭对被告人减轻处罚。检察官与被告人达成的协议经法院批准后即可执行。控辩交易的做法，在出现之初引起了人们的争议。20世纪60年代美国最高法院宣布其为合法，从而得到了广泛采用。

double jeopardy | 双重审理

指对实质上同一的罪行给予两次起诉、审判、定罪或科刑。禁止对当事人的同一罪行进行双重追诉是英美法上一项重要的诉讼原则。美国宪法第五条修正案具体规定了这一原则，美国最高法院则通过判例确认该原则对在第一次起诉后被法院定罪或宣告无罪的被告人均适用，并通过宪法第十四条修正案，即“正当程序条款”而将该原则扩大适用于各州。

probation officer | 缓刑监督官

负责监督被法院判处缓刑或暂缓监禁的罪犯，以及管理少年犯的司法官员。缓刑监督官应定期向法院汇报罪犯的情况，若罪犯违反了适用缓刑的条件，则将其提交法院处理。