Legal Question in Criminal Law in South Carolina

Re: Does A Defendant Have Rights?

A grand jury is not a trial. A grand jury is 18 people who listen to testimony and evidence to decide if there is probable cause for an indictment on a given criminal charge. An indictment leads to an arrest. A potential defendant does not have a right to address a grand jury. As to a "jury" at a trial, it is possible for the defendant to address the jury. But that is a stragety decision that must be given VERY careful consideration.