Grand juries in the United States

A protester in Oakland, California, on  December 3, 2014, wears a sign during a demonstration against the decision by a New York City grand jury not to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner.

England abolished grand juries decades ago because they didn’t work

Justice

Grand juries decided not indict the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The decision enraged many Americans, who questioned why the incidents didn’t deserve an open trial — exactly the reason why the UK, the originator of grand juries, abolished its own system long ago.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.