Indeed, the primary focus of California grand juries is the "watchdog" role, and the vast majority of criminal cases in California are brought through preliminary hearings.
As of , all but 15 counties in the state had limited their grand juries' roles to investigating local government.
In these counties, separate "criminal" or "special" grand juries were established to handle indictments. In Santa Clarita County, the "civil" grand jury is comprised of 23 members plus a number of alternates, all of whom are selected from a volunteer pool or from nominations by a Superior Court judge. The final jury is selected at random by a computer. The civil grand jury is sworn in each July to serve a month term. Serving as a member of the civil grand jury is a full-time job — 5 days and approximately hours per week.
Santa Clarita has established a separate "criminal" grand jury, which is also comprised of 23 members plus alternates. Unlike the civil grand jury, which is made up of volunteers, the criminal grand jury is selected at random from the same list of potential jurors used to impanel trial juries, with the goal of ensuring that a reasonable representative cross-section of the entire county is eligible for this service.
The criminal grand jury is impaneled monthly and the term of service is typically 30 calendar days. Skip to Content High Contrast. History of the Grand Jury System The origin of the grand jury system has been traced to 12th century England, where it was created to produce revenue and counter ecclesiastical courts.
Differences between a Grand Jury and a Trial Jury It is probably not much of an exaggeration to say that virtually every American is familiar with the concept and function of a trial jury, even if only through watching any of the seemingly endless number of popular legal dramas. Differences between a Grand Jury Indictment and a Preliminary Hearing Both a grand jury indictment and a preliminary hearing are initiated by the District Attorney, who presents the prosecutor's evidence to determine whether there is probable cause to bring criminal charges against the subject.
Procedure for a Grand Jury Indictment First and foremost, a grand jury proceeding is unique in that it is conducted in complete secrecy. Secrecy of the Grand Jury Perhaps the single element most responsible for the mystery surrounding grand juries is its defining characteristic: secrecy. The California Supreme Court has articulated many of the reasons that the grand jury system functions secretly: 1 to prevent the escape of those whose indictment may be contemplated; 2 to ensure the utmost freedom to the grand jury in its deliberations and to prevent persons subject to indictment or their friends from importuning the grand jurors; 3 to prevent subornation of perjury or tampering with the witnesses who may testify before the grand jury and later appear at the trial of those indicted by it; 4 to encourage free and untrammeled disclosures by persons who have information with respect to the commission of crime; 5 to protect the innocent accused who is exonerated from disclosure of the fact that he has been under investigation and from the expense of standing trial where there was probably no guilt.
Evidence Available to a Grand Jury When seeking an indictment, the prosecutor explains the law applicable to the proposed charges, seeks to persuade the grand jury that an indictment is appropriate, and works with the grand jury to gather evidence and obtain testimony.
Exculpatory Evidence In many jurisdictions excluding California , the prosecutor is not legally required to present exculpatory evidence i. Grand Jury Voting on Proposed Charges After the prosecution has presented the selected evidence, the grand jury votes to determine whether sufficient evidence has been presented for each of the proposed charges. Procedure for a Preliminary Hearing The procedure for a preliminary hearing stands in stark contrast.
Choosing a Grand Jury Over a Preliminary Hearing There are reasons in which it is an appropriate or desirable alternative to a preliminary hearing. Search Search. Toggle navigation MENU. Home Jurors Grand Jury Service. Grand Jury Service. White Plains, New York Copyright Westchester County. All Rights Reserved. No iframes. Main Office Telephone Directory. Branch Offices.
Conviction Review Unit. Court Calendar. FOIL Requests. Report a Crime. Rights of Crime Victims. Grand Jury Service The Grand Jury plays an important role in the administration of justice in the community. Qualifications of Grand Jurors Georgia law says you are qualified to be a grand juror if you: Are a U. Postal Service Please fax one of these documents to , noting your Participant Number and a telephone number where you can be reached.
Any person convicted of a felony, who has not had their complete civil rights restored, may be exempt from jury service upon request and presentation of an appropriate affidavit. Persons seventy 70 years of age or older shall be permanently excused upon request and presentation of an appropriate affidavit. Persons who are the primary caregiver of a child six 6 years of age or younger and have no reasonably available alternative child care or persons who are the primary teacher in a home study program and have no reasonably available alternative for child or children in the home study program shall be excused or deferred upon presentation of an appropriate affidavit.
A completed juror questionnaire must accompany the affidavit. If you fall into this category of persons and the jury service day to which you have been assigned proves a hardship for you to get alternative child care or you have a special needs child, please contact the Jury Management Office at and press 0. Any person who is a primary unpaid caregiver of a person over the age of six 6 , who is responsible for the care of a person with physical or cognitive limitations and there is no reasonably available alternative to provide for care shall be excused or deferred upon presentation of an appropriate affidavit and statement from a physician as to the limitations.
Any service member on ordered military duty, or the spouse of any such service member on active military duty, may be excused or deferred upon request and presentation of an appropriate affidavit.
Hours of Service Grand jurors are to appear at AM on their report date.
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