Grand Jury’s Duties Broad, but Little Known

They asked a simple set of questions, designed to see whether people really understand what the Ventura County Grand Jury does.

The answers surprised them:

“Grand juries meddle in people’s lives.”

“The grand jury prosecutes judges.”

“The grand jury can review the Playboy Channel.”

“We felt that the public is not educated, is not aware of what the grand jury does,” said Antonio M. Caballero, a grand juror who is chairman of the panel’s community relations board.

The responses to the 12-question survey of 200 potential jurors earlier this year demonstrated as much.

The results--tallied from a total of 30 responses--were both sobering and funny.

Here’s a quick sample:

Question No. 4: What is the difference between a petit and a grand jury?

Five answered, “Grand juries meddle in people’s lives” or some variation on that theme.

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One answered, “Petit jurors hang around the jury room.”

The correct answer?

A grand jury holds hearings to determine whether evidence presented by the district attorney is sufficient to warrant that a defendant stand trial in court. A petit jury determines guilt or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question No. 9: What does the grand jury do?

Seven answered, “Decide.”

Four answered, “Prosecute judges.”

Two answered, “Ensure fair trials.”

The correct answer?

The panel not only hands down indictments for criminal suspects, but also has oversight of Ventura County’s government. In the last year, the grand jury has looked into everything from welfare reform to county tree regulation.

And question No. 12: What parts of city and county government can the grand jury review?

Seven answered, “All Ventura County.”

One answered, “The Playboy Channel.”

The correct answer? Just about everything, from special water districts to law enforcement agencies to citizens complaints.

According to the American Bar Assn., the original purpose of a grand jury was to act as a buffer between the king (and his prosecutors) and the citizens.

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Today, the grand jury holds hearings behind closed doors to determine whether evidence presented by the district attorney is strong enough to warrant a trial.

It also calls in social workers, educators, city leaders--and citizens--who believe government is not working.

Ventura County’s grand jury works from the third floor of the County Courthouse. An inconspicuous sign is the only hint of what lies behind the door, which has a black doorbell and a fish-eye lens peephole.

Inside is a series of interconnected rooms: a small kitchen, a meeting room and the actual grand jury room, complete with a big leather chair for the foreman and a witness stand. Prisoners can be brought in to testify by underground tunnel from the County Jail next door. Secrecy of all grand jury proceedings was originally designed to protect the grand jurors from improper pressures.

Now, according to the American Bar Assn., the secrecy helps encourage witnesses to speak freely, protect the innocent from disclosure of an investigation and ensure that the guilty don’t flee or try to tamper with witnesses.

The result of the shroud of secrecy surrounding grand jury proceedings--as demonstrated by the questionnaire--is that most people do not know much about grand juries.

Here are some basic facts:

The 19-member panel serves for one year--from July 1 through June 30--and is selected through a lengthy screening process.

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It oversees all aspects of city and county government--inspecting and auditing records and financial expenditures to ensure public funds are legally spent, examining the conditions of jails in the county, and probing charges of misconduct by public officials.

The grand jury also sifts through letters from citizens alleging mistreatment by officials, suspicions of misconduct or government inefficiency. These complaints are then investigated to test their validity.

That’s on top of handing down indictments for criminal misconduct. Grand juries have weighed in on most of the big cases in court today--indicting killers Michael Dally, Diana Haun and Michael Raymond Johnson.

This year’s panel has initiated about a dozen indictments and investigations thus far, compared with a total of 16 by last year’s panel, Caballero said.

The group issued eight interim reports on such topics as county tree regulations, access to and control of sexually explicit material available via the Internet in public libraries, county foster care, an investigation of the Santa Paula Police Department and the Moorpark Mosquito Abatement District.

Final reports will be issued in July. “Sitting on a grand jury is like taking a crash course in civics,” Caballero said. “And I can tell you, it’s way beyond Civics 101.

“We have a lot of clout,” he added. “We are second in command. We only answer to a single person, and that’s Judge [Charles] Campbell,” presiding judge of the Ventura County courts.

“Some people accuse us of being a rubber stamp--of obeying the whims of the district attorney--which we are not,” Caballero said.

Members of this year’s grand jury come from many walks of life. They include a former newspaper editor, an aerospace worker, several teachers, a licensed psychologist and a former postal worker. Most, but not all, jurors are retired.

Some saw ads in the newspaper and applied, others had friends recommend them. Still others, such as Pablo Vargas, saw a sign in the window when he came for regular jury duty and applied.

“We bring our life experiences into this chamber,” grand juror Edy Everett said.

Applications for next year’s grand jury are due at the end of this month. Anyone who has lived in Ventura County for at least a year, has no felony convictions and is over 18 may apply.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Grand Jury Survey

The Ventura County Grand Jury surveyed prospective jurors to determine how much they knew about the grand jury. Here are the questions and correct answers.

1. How many people serve on a grand jury?

19.

2. What is the term length of the grand jury?

One year (July 1 to June 30).

3. How are grand jurors selected?

Applicants are screened, interviewed and reduced to 30 candidates. An effort is made to select representatives from each supervisorial district. The final 19 are chosen by random drawing.

4. What is the difference between a petit and a grand jury?

The grand jury holds hearings to determine whether evidence presented by the district attorney is sufficient to warrant that a defendant stand trial in court. A petit jury determines guilt or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.

5. Do grand jurors get paid?

Grand jurors are paid $20 a day for each day served and 31.5 cents a mile for personal vehicle use.

6. How many days a week do they serve? How many hours a day?

A minimum of three days a week for a period of one year. It is not uncommon to serve four or five days in any given week. Depending on the workload, hours can vary from three to eight or 10 a day.

7. How can a citizen become a grand juror?

By applying to the county’s Jury Services.

8. What are the qualifications for service on the grand jury?

An applicant must be a citizen of the United States and be at least 18 years old, and must have been a resident of Ventura County for at least one year.

9. What does the grand jury do?

Responsibilities include civil government oversight, special districts’ interests, citizens’ complaints and civil or criminal indictments or hearings.

10. How does the grand jury publish information?

Interim and year-end reports are provided to government department heads and the news media through the Superior Court.

11. What is the oversight function of the grand jury?

Inspect and audit books, records and expenditures of more than 50 departments and agencies; inquire into the conditions of jails and detention centers; investigate any charges of willful misconduct in office by public officials or county employees.

12. What parts of city and county government can the grand jury review?

County administration; county services; cities and joint powers; special districts; health, education and welfare; law, justice and public safety; audit and finance; citizen complaints.

Source: the 1997-98 Ventura County Grand Jury survey