General Glossary Terms

Grand juries are made up of groups of jurors and a judge who listen to evidence and decide if someone should be charged with a crime. Under Connecticut law, crimes charged by the state after May 26, 1983 are prosecuted by complaint or information instead of grand jury indictment. By law, an investigatory grand jury (a judge, judge referee, or three-judge panel) can be empanelled to conduct investigations of (1) government corruption; (2) Medicaid vendor fraud; (3) racketeering; (4) election law violations; and (5) felonies punishable by more than five years imprisonment, for which the chief state's attorney can show that there is no other means of obtaining information as to whether a crime has been committed or the perpetrator's identity. The applicant must have a reasonable belief that the administration of justice requires an investigation to determine whether there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. If the applicant is the chief state's attorney or a state's attorney, he also must demonstrate that normal investigatory methods have failed, are likely to fail, or are too dangerous and state the reasons why he believes that a grand jury investigation will lead to a finding of probable cause that a crime was committed.

The person(s) you choose, should both parents die, to be responsible for the care, health, education, and welfare of minor children until they reach 18 years old. Guardians can also be chosen to provide care for pets should owners precede them in death. Permission should be sought of guardians in advance to be sure they are willing to take on this responsibility.