Detention hearings are conducted without a jury. Which term best describes this type of proceeding?

• A. Jury trial
• B. Non-jury proceeding
• C. Public hearing
• D. Bench trial

Answer: (B)

Detention hearings are conducted without a jury, so the best term is non-jury proceeding. In a jury trial, jurors determine issues of fact and render a verdict, whereas a detention hearing is decided by a judge after considering the evidence presented. It isn’t a full trial, but a judge-alone proceeding focused on whether the defendant should be detained or released pending future proceedings. A bench trial involves a judge deciding the issues in a trial-like setting, which can be closer in structure to a traditional trial, but detention hearings are typically shorter hearings rather than full trials, making non-jury proceeding the most accurate description. Public hearings are open to the public and don’t address the presence or absence of a jury, so they don’t fit this context.