I’m in the midst of my first grand jury experience and I’m curious about the process in other jurisdictions. I know the proceedings are secret, but I’d like to know how it works where you are.
I’m in Maryland, specifically in St. Mary’s County. Grand jury duty is for a period of 6 months, roughly bi-weekly on Wednesdays. We have our own little sequestered area of the courthouse. You enter a small vestibule where the coffee, donuts, and bailiff are kept. On the far right is a small room where the State’s attorney and police will wait their turn to present their cases to us. Just to the left of that is the door to the big room where we deliberate. It’s like a large conference room with a table, lots of chairs around the perimeter, and a chalk board. At the far end of the room is a door that opens to a hallway from which one can access the rest rooms or, going around to the left, it leads back to the vestibule. For the record, they get some goooooood donuts!
On our first day, a rep from the State’s Attorney Office came in and explained how Maryland’s judicial process works. He also threw in some stuff about the Magna Carta and TV shows. The main thing he emphasized is that our deliberations are secret.
A typical session lasts several hours. Each case is presented by a prosecutor and the police officer/detective in charge of the investigation. They read the charges, describe the evidence, answer any questions we have, then they leave the room. We may or may not discuss the case, then we vote whether or not to indict. The foreman and the secretary sign the indictment, and they give it to the bailiff. Then the next pair come in.
To my mind, it’s better than a jury trial, because we can ask questions. And in our last session, the prosecutor was actually asking our advice and suggestions for presenting the case, since it was rather complex and she figured if we were confused, the petit jury would probably be confused also.
If I can say anything negative about the experience, I’ve learned about some of the skeevy people that live in my county. On the other hand, most of them are pretty stupid. I mean, really - when a police officer comes to your place of business and asks to speak with you, it’s probably not too bright to say “Oh, this is about that murder, isn’t it?”
When we’ve heard all the cases for the day, we go to one of the courtrooms and the indictments are presented to the judge. We are thanked and dismissed. And for all of this, we get and expense check of $15 each session. I give mine back as a donation to a children’s camp fund, since I’m gainfully employed and the $15 isn’t needed or missed.
So, care to share your experiences?