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Psst. We can’t say too much about it, but Luzerne County might soon convene a grand jury – a group whose members are sworn to secrecy as they listen to and weigh evidence before deciding if prosecutors have built a sufficient case to file criminal charges.
That’s potentially bad news for bad guys.
But for people perturbed by the area’s violent and drug-fueled crime, it represents a good-faith effort to deliver justice in a number of stalled cases. Too often lately, uncooperative witnesses pose roadblocks for prosecutors trying to bring cases to trial, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis recently told the Times Leader’s Opinion Board.
Salavantis anticipates the grand jury will be up and running at an undisclosed site within weeks, she told us. (For the record, in a conversation nearly 12 months ago she told another area news outlet about her aspirations to have the program in place “as soon as possible.”)
Assuming it materializes as planned this spring, the grand jury reportedly would rely on a pool of about two dozen members, plus alternates, serving for 18-month terms. A juror could expect to be called for duty one or two days each month; although in some months, he or she might not be pressed into service at all.
Unlike a typical courtroom’s jury, this group’s role is not to come to consensus on guilt or innocence. Instead, its members hear a mostly one-sided account of a situation. They then help prosecutors to gauge if the case lacks merit, seems too flimsy or if the accused should be charged.
Everyone involved in the process – attorneys, stenographers, etc. – must remain tight-lipped about the grand jury’s activities or possibly face prosecution. (State Attorney General Kathleen Kane can attest to that fact, as it’s the crux of a complaint against her.)
One big advantage of a grand jury: Because its process is cloaked in secrecy, witnesses who might otherwise face intimidation or fear retaliation can testify without confronting a defendant. Transcripts of this testimony can be made available at a later trial if a witness clams up or reconsiders.
Although you won’t hear much about it – with good reason – Luzerne County’s grand jury system offers a new and necessary scope of protection for witnesses, and a means for ensuring certain people can’t evade a courtroom forever.