The grand jury originated as the most important protection against unfounded accusations and unjust indictment. Before a person could be arrested and charged with a crime, a grand jury had to weigh the evidence that a crime had actually occurred and that evidence existed linking the suspect to the crime. Only then could a person be arrested and charged with a crime. Alas, the grand jury no longer does its job. The loss of grand-jury protection places us in great jeopardy, because once indicted, conviction is hard to avoid.
Few people can afford the cost and stress of a trial.
Prosecutors have acquired extraordinary power to withhold exculpatory evidence and to suborn perjury, making the risk of wrongful conviction very high. Prosecutors are even permitted to pay people to testify against the defendant. According to Department of Justice statistics, about 95 percent of all criminal cases are settled without a trial by the accused making a plea to a lesser charge. This means that the vast majority of people in prison are there on the basis of evidence that was never tested in the courtroom. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers finds this result to be extremely detrimental to justice and our liberty.