In a historic move, California has officially banned the use of grand juries in the cases of police-related deaths.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB227, written by Sen. Holly Mitchell, last Tuesday. Prior to the bill, the use of a grand jury in these cases was optional, which is the case in many states. In situations where a grand jury is used, the process is kept secret and records of the hearing are sealed. With the new bill, it will be up to the prosecutor whether or not an officer should be indicted following excessive force cases. This bill will go into effect sometime next year.
California is the first state to ban grand juries in these cases.
