Cook County prosecutors steer clear of judges in gun cases

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Cook County prosecutors have been avoiding judges in the early stage of gun cases — opting to have grand juries approve their charges — to make sure the defendants are headed to trial, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

In a major policy shift, State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez ordered her prosecutors to present felony gun-possession cases to grand juries about a month and a half ago. In the past, they typically brought those cases before judges in preliminary hearings.

Grand juries and judges can both decide if probable cause exists for a defendant to go to trial. But grand juries almost always agree with prosecutors and indict the defendant, while judges are less predictable, according to officials in the state’s attorney’s office.

The new policy sends a message to criminals that prosecutors are serious about taking gun-possession cases to trial, the officials said. Criminals don’t view the possibility of punishment in gun cases as certain or swift, they said.

Just a reminder, this is the same Anita Alvarez that says American citizens shouldn't be allowed to own handguns even to defend themselves against assault. Watch the video down below.