The grand jury system in the Virgin Islands has been an effective investigative tool since its implementation as part of the federal judicial system in the territory.
James Hurd Jr., the United States attorney for the Virgin Islands, said the success of the system came despite doubts that the confidentiality of the grand jury system could be maintained given the relatively small population of the Virgin Islands.
"We were told when we proposed a grand jury system that it would never work in the Virgin Islands," he said, because "the secrecy would never be maintained."
To the contrary, Hurd said, the system has worked to the benefit of prosecutors on the federal level. "Im elated that it has worked favorably," he said. "We have had only three leaks and that is a pretty good record in any one district."
During a recent interview with the Source, Hurd said although a grand jury session is not required to indict a suspect on the federal level, many benefits have been realized by the grand jury system which has been in existence for the past six years. He declined to provide specifics on the work of the grand jury system such as how often it meets and the case criteria for which it is assembled.