Jury System Research Paper

The jury causes a great waste of time. It has been pointed out that a trial by jury usually requires two to three times the amount of time

The jury system of a trial is an essential element of the democratic process. It attempts to secure fairness in the justice system. Traditionally, the jury system has been viewed as a cornerstone of common law procedure. However, the use of the system of trial by jury is on the decline. Today, its use differs, depending on whether (a) it is a civil or criminal matter, and (b) in criminal matters, whether it is a summary or an indictable offence.

In considering the effectiveness of the jury system, it is first necessary to understand the roles of juries. Primarily, a jury is a body of legally unqualified citizens who agree on a verdict based on evidence

Every day people are convicted of crimes or arrested for other reasons. Once they are convicted they are summoned to court, this begins the jury process. Citizens are randomly chosen to serve on jury duty. The citizens on the jury will use the jury system to determine if the person being accused is guilty or innocent. Trials can become very long or they can be short it just depends on the topic and how long it takes to decide on what the consequences will be. The jury system is the main trial and the main decision of whether or not someone is right or wrong.

Juries in NSW The jury system plays a very important part in the running of the courts. The jury system is needed in both criminal and civil cases. There are advantages of the jury system as well as disadvantages.

Juries are a crucial and irreplaceable part of the American justice system. The jury system has been around for hundreds of years. Our founding fathers viewed jury service as a critical part of democracy and self government. Twelve ordinary citizens make up the jury and will form a decision about the case. The jury system is still needed in the twenty-first century because it ensures the accused gets a fair trial and it promotes civic participation.

Those a part of the American jury system tend to base their decisions on opinions rather than actually analyzing the facts. Those on the jury may not be qualified to acquit someone. In the novel written by Mark Twain he asserts that even though people on the jury take an oath, but they

This amendment was introduced after the Bruce Burrell case (2005) where, after two weeks of deliberations, all jurors were firmly in favor of one verdict except for one who was firmly against the majority verdict. The case illustrated the vulnerabilities of the previous jury system in creating a time and cost ineffective measure of trialing defendants where justice was not necessarily achieved. Another recent reform is the passing of legislation in 2006 which provided three additional ‘spare’ jurors to be empanelled on lengthy criminal trials for example in the case R v. Wood. These recent reforms in legislation have led to the jury system being more cost and time effective in the criminal trial. Allowing a majority vote instead of strict unanimous verdict reduces the risk of a hung jury and hence prevents jury bribing and jury disagreements. By avoiding a retrial, the criminal trial process saves huge amounts of time and money for all individuals involved and hence maintains the integrity of the jury system. Equally, allowing spare jurors in lengthy trials is hugely cost and time effective as retrials are often avoided in the case where there is misconduct amongst the jurors.

Juries allow and force the public to have a personal knowledge of court proceedings, protect against the bias of a single person, and provide the public with certainty that there is not corruption in our judicial system. No human system of justice is perfect, but I believe that what Benjamin Franklin said regarding the Constitution also applies to our jury system, “It therefore astonishes me, Sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does” (Benjamin Franklin to the Federal Convention).

When I evaluated the disadvantages of a plea jury I found three disadvantages inefficiency, inexperience, and inconsistency (Appleman, 2010). Inefficiency in a plea jury would slow the process down

Juries have been utilized in the system of law and order for more than 1000 years. Their original purpose was to provide local insight and information that acted more as a witness rather than final decisions. By the late 15th Century, the jury system had been recognized as an important faction in the legal system and had become independent as it matured from simple witness to decider of fact. Consequently, the jury system became undeniably important following the Revolutionary War. The right to trial by jury was symbolic in the sense that it represented the overthrown power of the king.

Jurors used to research the case beforehand before the reign of king Henry 2. The modern day jury system makesure the jurors have little to no knowledge before hearing the case so that they can make a non

The jury fulfills a significant function in the legal system. A person is entitled to be trialed by a jury unless the offence made is a minor one. However, every legal case need not need a jury. Generally, a jury consists of 12 members of the public of who are randomly chosen. These random individuals are usually from the qualified population of adult citizens who live in the court’s jurisdictional area. They sit in a box to one side of the judge. Among these 12 people, one juror will be selected as the head juror or

Some Jurors will reach a quick verdict or not properly think over the evidence just to get it over and done with so they can go home.

The Jury Selection Procedure in the English Legal System The theory behind modern day trial by jury can be traced back some