Extremely rare for grand jury not to return indictment, statistics show
In the more than 162,500 cases prosecuted by U.S. attorneys from 2009 to 2010, grand juries voted not to return an indictment in just 11
The grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, in the fatal shooting Aug. 9 of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo., was historic for many reasons, including the fiery protests that erupted in its wake. It was also historic in that it is rare for a grand jury not to return an indictment.
In the more than 162,500 cases prosecuted by U.S. attorneys from 2009 to 2010, grand juries voted not to return an indictment in only 11, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics — equivalent to one in 14,759 cases, or 0.0068 percent.
However, the figures are not directly comparable, as Ben Casselman writes on FiveThirtyEight.com. The Michael Brown case was heard in state, not federal court.
It nevertheless remains extremely unusual, legal experts say. ...