Are grand jury proceedings open to the public and do witnesses have the right to counsel?

Grand jury proceedings are conducted in secrecy to protect the integrity of the investigation and to encourage witnesses to speak freely without fear of retaliation or public scrutiny. This confidentiality is a well-established principle of grand jury law and is intended to promote candid testimony. As for the presence of counsel, the law typically prohibits witnesses from having legal representation during their grand jury testimony. This is because the grand jury serves as an investigative body rather than a forum for adjudication, and allowing counsel could disrupt the proceedings and inhibit the grand jury's ability to gather evidence.

Thus, the correct understanding is that grand jury proceedings are indeed secret, and witnesses do not have the right to counsel in the grand jury room. This underlines the unique nature of grand jury investigations as a pre-indictment procedure within the criminal justice system.