Grand Jury Report: Winter 2021

News

Wednesday, 15 December 2021 11:34

“We, the Grand Jury for Jackson County, Alabama, having completed our work for this session, submit the following report:
We have reviewed 262 cases and return in open court 241 True Bills. We have toured the Courthouse and found it to be clean and in fair condition. On our tour, we learned that the storage rooms located in the basement are in dire need of restoration. There is water damage which has left rotten wood and the smell of mildew. We recommend this problem be addressed immediately as these rooms hold decades worth of important court records. The entire basement area of the Courthouse would benefit from minor remodeling.

It appears most offices share the problem of available space and storage. We propose the County move high traffic offices to county-owned buildings outside the Courthouse to help in providing safe, much needed space and storage for housing important records. We recommend that additional Sheriff Deputies be hired when the budget allows. We would also like for a second entrance to the Courthouse be re-opened when funding allows. Additional parking spaces around the Courthouse square would be beneficial for all county citizens, should this opportunity ever arise. The temperature is inconsistent throughout the courthouse. We recommend that the entire heating and cooling system be replaced and that each office be able to control their own temperature effectively. Also, the Wi-fi access throughout the Courthouse is inconsistent and should be updated to work efficiently.

We had an educational and informative week hearing the cases and learning the process of our judicial system. We would like to express our thanks to the members of law enforcement who appeared before the Grand Jury, including the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Scottsboro Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Bridgeport Police Department, Hollywood Police Department, Skyline Police Department, Stevenson Police Department, and Jackson County Community Corrections Office.

We would like to say that we were very impressed with the District Attorney and his staff. They were compassionate, well prepared, knowledgeable, and very helpful in explaining and/or clarifying any questions in each case or indictment. We greatly appreciate their hospitality, as we were made to feel comfortable for the duration of our time spent here this week.

Having completed this session of the Grand Jury, we respectfully request that we be recessed.
Submitted this the 8th day of December, 2021.
All indictments are submitted, along with this report, in open court and in the presence of the foreperson and sixteen other members of this Grand Jury, and filed in Court this the 12th day of December, 2021.”