Protesters, academics and public officials are calling the use of secretive grand jury investigations into question following the failure of two separate grand juries to indict white police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men. Grand juries are used in many states to determine whether there is enough evidence to take a case to trial. The problem, critics say, is that grand juries almost always fail to indict police officers. Gabriel “Jack” Chin is a Professor at UC Davis School of Law. His areas of expertise include criminal procedure, civil rights, and immigration law. He joins us to explain why states use grand juries, the benefits of a grand jury and whether states should consider getting rid of grand juries.

LINKS:

• SFGate.com: Calls grow to eliminate grand juries’ secrecy in police killings
• The New Republic: Darren Wilson Walks: No Indictment for Michael Brown’s Killer
• UC Davis School Of Law: Aoki Center Hosts Town Hall Discussion on Policing, Racial Tensions in Ferguson
• Sacramento Bee: Man accused of starting King Fire indicted by El Dorado County grand jury