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The Grand Jury

The grand jury is a body of citizens (usually 16, but varying in number from state to - state) summoned by the court to inquire into the crimes committed in the country, or in case of federal grand juries, in the federal court district.

Grand jury proceedings are private and secret. Prospective defendants are not entitled to be present at the pertinent proceedings, and no one appears to cross-examine witnesses on the defendants' behalf.

However, a witness before a federal grand jury is free to describe his testimony to anyone he pleases, after he leaves the grand jury room. To this extent, such proceedings are not secret.

Although all states have provision for impaneling a grand jury, only about half use it as a regular arm of law enforcement. In the others, the prosecutor, on his own responsibility, is empowered to make formal accusation of all, or of all but the most serious, crimes. In states where the grand jury is utilized, it is convened at regular intervals, or it may be impaneled at special times by the court to consider important cases.

The grand jury has broad investigative powers: it may compel the attendance of witnesses; require the taking of oaths, and compel answers to questions and the submission of records. Ordinarily, however, the grand jury hears such witnesses as the prosecutor calls before it and considers only the cases presented to it by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, a grand jury may undertake inquiries of its own, in effect taking the initiative away from the prosecutor. In common parlance, this is known as a "runaway" grand jury.

The grand jury's traditional function is to determine whether information elicit by the prosecutor, or by its own inquiries, is adequate to warrant the return of an indictment or true bill charging a person or persons with a particular crime. If grand jury concludes that the evidence does not warrant a formal charge, it may return a no bill.

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