There are four counties that currently do not impanel grand juries. Based on conversations with county attorneys, if given the authority only one county plans to immediately request a grand jury. There are two possible methods of bringing a defendant to trial. The defendant can either be bound over to superior court through a preliminary hearing before a judge or be indicted by a grand jury. As a method of bringing a case to the superior court level for trial, the grand jury may be less expensive.
Preliminary hearings require the defendant to receive representation.
Grand juries do not allow representation for the defendant. Sixteen jurors are called to sit on each grand jury. This analysis assumes on average each juror travels 50 miles round trip. A grand jury can hear approximately fifteen cases per day. The long term fiscal impacts are more difficult to determine.