The Marin Civil Grand Jury is made up of volunteer applicants from the citizenry of the county.
Former
jurors comprise the Marin Chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association.
The members are all non-paid volunteers. The chapter’s functions include recruiting,
interviewing and training of the jury. In order for a Grand Jury to be
empaneled each year, it is the responsibility of the chapter to recruit
applicants throughout the county. The chapter then facilitates the interview
process as mandated by the Superior Court.
he
presiding judge of the court makes the final decision in selecting the 30
applicants who are put into a drawing for the jury. The first 19 drawn are put
on the jury and the remaining 11 are alternates. After they are empaneled, the chapter,
in coordination with the state California Grand Jurors’ Association trains the
new jury.
A
recent letter published in the Marin Independent Journal questions the
diversity and fairness of the Grand Jury.
We would like to address the issues brought forth in this letter.
California
statutes dictate how the jury is formed. The chapter is bound by these
statutes. Any changes made, such as dictating quotas based on race or gender,
would have to be made by the state.
For
many years, the chapter has aggressively attempted to increase diversity in the
jury. Efforts have included a series of half-page ads in the IJ announcing the
schedule of public information presentations and locations. The events have
taken place throughout Marin, from Sausalito-Marin City to Novato and West Marin.
We’ve
repeatedly scheduled informational programs throughout the county — including
Marin City and the Canal neighborhood — with multiple notices posted on the
social website NextDoor and in the IJ. In spite of the heavy promotion, people
have not shown up in these two locations.
Banners and flyers have been distributed as well. Check out the banner
that has been posted on the fence as you enter Marin City.
We
face one inescapable problem. Service on the Civil Grand Jury requires the
commitment of approximately 20 hours per week over the course of a year.
Compensation is set by the state of California, not by Marin County, and
consists of $20 per day for every day in which the jury meets.
Typically,
a juror earns less than $3,000 for his or her commitment. The very nature of
the Civil Grand Jury thus tends to limit participation to those with the time
and financial means to devote to this service. This situation is not one of
exclusion of minorities by the jury but lack of participation and inclusion by
the minority community.
In
the past, the Grand Jury Association reached out to citizens in the minority
communities seeking ideas on improving diversity and we will continue to do so.
Recently, members of our board met with the county’s new diversity manager who
agreed to assist us in minority recruitment.
If
the authors of the letter and any other citizens have productive suggestions as
to how to attract a more diverse population, within the constraints described
by statute in the California Penal Code, we would be happy to speak with them.
The
authors of the letter mentioned a specific incident in Marin City that they
hoped would be investigated by the Grand Jury. The process undertaken by the
jury, which is strictly confidential, is as follows for all cases:
The
Civil Grand Jury reviews “requests for investigation” complaints that have been
submitted by the citizens. The jury then decides, based on several specific
criteria, whether or not an investigation is warranted.
Everything
submitted is confidential and the public will not know if there was an
investigation until or unless a report is issued. We have no idea if the
authors of the letter are aware of this or have submitted a complaint.
We
suggest that all citizens go to the Civil Grand Jury website if they are
interested in educating themselves on how the jury conducts its business. It can be found at: MarinCounty.org/depts/gj.
The chapter website can be found at mccgja.org.
Tom
Borden, of Larkspur, served on the 2013-14 Marin County Civil Grand Jury and is
president of the Marin chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association.
Marin
Independent Journal
By TOM BORDEN
August 14, 2020
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