Legal Definitions - barebones indictment

A barebones indictment is a formal written accusation of a crime that only cites the language of the statute allegedly violated. It does not provide a factual statement. This type of indictment is permissible as long as the statute sets forth all essential elements of the crime intended to be punished.

John is indicted for violating a statute that prohibits theft. The indictment simply states, "John violated the theft statute." This is a barebones indictment because it only cites the language of the statute and does not provide any factual details about the alleged theft.

This type of indictment is common in cases where the statute itself provides all the necessary information about the crime. For example, if a statute defines a crime as "knowingly possessing a controlled substance," an indictment that simply states "defendant knowingly possessed a controlled substance" would be sufficient.