The 2017-18 Napa County
grand jury has helped grand juries across the state get clarity on their duty
to annually inquire into the conditions at public prisons.
As a result of a Napa
County query, the State Attorney General’s Office recently concluded that
“public prisons” include "local detention facilities" such as county
jails. This is a question that has been debated in the grand jury community,
the opinion said.
It apparently is a complex
question. The 13-page Attorney General's opinion delves deep into a grand jury
provision enacted by California in 1850.
But the requirement to
“inquire” into jail conditions doesn’t mean grand juries have to investigate or
write a report. They can fulfill the requirement by doing such things as
touring the jail or interviewing the jail commander, the California Grand
Jurors' Association said.
The matter is a bit
technical, 2017-18 Napa County Grand Jury Foreperson Alan Charles Dell’Ario
said. But the opinion that came about from Napa County’s query is precedent for
all 58 California counties, he added.
Napa Valley Register
Barry Eberling
March 17, 2022
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