Anyone who watches the news has heard of the Grand Jury’s decisions regarding various cases. These controversial cases often cause a whirlwind of commotion throughout the United States. Many people believe that the Grand Jury’s decision was completely wrong and unjust, despite the fact various people do not fully understand how the Grand Jury works or exactly what the Grand Jury is.

The Grand Jury is among the very first steps in a criminal trial. According to criminal.findlaw.com, a Grand Jury is when a prosecutor works with a grand jury to decide whether or not to allege someone of criminal charges or an indictment (serious crime) against the potential defendant. In simpler terms, The Grand Jury decides if there is enough evidence to send a case to court. The Grand Jury usually consists of 16 to 23 people.

All of the Grand Jury communications are confidential and protected from the public. Since the Grand Jury is deciding if the case deserves to go to court, a judge is not present. Not many people are present, thus giving the witnesses a chance to speak freely without fear. Another reason for having these procedures in private is to keep the defendants reputation clean if the person is not found guilty.

Although the Grand Jury holds most of the power in this situation, if the prosecutor feels that there’s enough evidence to take the defendant to court they can. If the Grand Jury feels the defendant is guilty the trial starts much quicker.

So next time when people start blaming the Grand Jury for all the faults in society, just think before you jump to accusations.