#Indictment

An indictment is a slip of paper announcing the climax of the national courtroom drama. No matter how loudly one proclaims innocence, the weight of the printed charges drowns out that voice as each accusation begins its silent recital. It lures the defendant into the labyrinth of trial and ultimately forces participation in the festival of an ideal called justice. Formally claiming to enumerate evidence and codify guilt, it is, in essence, a catalog of emotional commodities balancing fear and reassurance. Each time it is issued, it demonstrates how the boundary between law and justice can wobble as thin as a sheet of paper.