Grand Juries and the Controversial Ferguson and Staten Island Cases
Understanding Grand Juries
In the United States, a grand jury is a group of citizens who are tasked with determining whether there is probable cause to believe that a person has committed a crime. Grand juries do not decide guilt or innocence, but rather whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.
The Ferguson and Staten Island Cases
Recently, two grand juries made highly controversial decisions not to indict police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men. In Ferguson, Missouri, the grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. In Staten Island, New York, the grand jury also declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
The Ferguson Case
The Ferguson grand jury's decision was particularly controversial because there was a significant amount of public evidence that appeared to contradict the officer's account of the shooting. However, the grand jury is not required to publicly disclose its reasoning, and so it is impossible to know for sure why the decision was made.
The Staten Island Case
The Staten Island grand jury's decision was also controversial, but for different reasons. In this case, there was video evidence that appeared to show the officer using a chokehold on Eric Garner, which is a prohibited technique by the New York Police Department. However, the grand jury decided that there was not enough evidence to prove that the officer intended to harm Garner.
Criticism of Grand Juries
The grand jury system has been criticized for a number of reasons. One criticism is that grand juries are often biased in favor of the prosecution. This is because the prosecutor is the one who presents evidence to the grand jury, and the grand jury does not have the opportunity to hear from the defendant or their witnesses. Another criticism of grand juries is that they are too secretive. The proceedings of grand juries are not open to the public, and the grand jury is not required to disclose its reasoning for its decisions.
Conclusion
The grand jury system is a complex and controversial one. There are strong arguments to be made both for and against the use of grand juries. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use grand juries is a policy decision that must be made by each state.
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