5 ms·
This is just one data point, but I served on a NY grand jury a few years back. 30 cases, 27/28 found for indictment. of the 2 or 3 we dismissed, the accused t
by jgalt212 12y ago
This is just one data point, but I served on a NY grand jury a few years back. 30 cases, 27/28 found for indictment. of the 2 or 3 we dismissed, the accused testified on their own behalf during the grand jury process. In only about 5 of the 30 cases, the accused testified on their own behalf.
I don't know why most accused don't testify during the grand jury process, but without their testimony the process is obviously a very one-sided affair. As a result, there are many indictments and many plea bargains.
- XorNot 12y agoI'm guessing a lot of the accused do not test well in public speaking engagements - which is not an unreasonable outcome to expect. I can't even imagine how I'd react to finding myself the accused in a major court case.
- jgalt212 12y agoWhile that may be true, so long as the accused didn't directly come out and say, "I did it!", our grand jury universally felt that accused testimonies helped them rather than hurt. And even though we only saw few accused speak on their own behalf, none of them were polished public speakers or witnesses.
- dtrizzle 12y agoMost of the time, defendant's are not invited to testify. Many times, they have no idea that a grand jury investigation is taking place.