Reference no: EM133372165

Case: John Doe is an individual who left his country in an effort to make a better life. However, he does not have legal status in America and was recently arrested for shoplifting merchandise, which was valued over $1,000. At the time of his arrest, John voluntarily began to make incriminating statements to the arresting officers. At the police station, detectives conducted an interrogation of John asking him about the theft. John Doe has had no prior arrests, is 35 years old, and most of John Doe's family still resides in his home country. Due to the amount of money involved, the crime is deemed a felony and John was arrested and placed in county jail, however, he has no money for bail.

Question

The court could choose either a preliminary hearing or a grand jury proceeding to establish probable cause for the felony charges in this case. Compare and contrast the two procedures.