Infrequent grand juries can mean long pretrial waits in jail in Mississippi, survey shows

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Most people in Mississippi’s county jails have been held at least three months without formal charges while waiting to go on trial. A survey released Thursday shows some wait longer because two-thirds of counties have grand juries that meet only two or three times a year to consider indictments. University of Mississippi Law School students and staff collected the data. They issued public records requests and called district attorneys and court clerks. The center’s director says Mississippi should join most other states in limiting how long prosecutors can delay seeking indictments. He says “geographic misfortune” can cause longer pretrial detentions.