Two options are presented to a jury in a court of law: guilty, or non-guilty. In any case, there exists a third option no legal advisor is allowed to tell a jury. Despite the evidence presented, if a jury feels it is morally incorrect to prosecute a defendant, they have the power to acquit them. In order to maintain a free justice system, it is important for a jury to have the power to disregard the law under specific circumstances, despite the evidence
The role of the jury in criminal
In the United States, we let the people decide – not who the president will be, though. We let everyday people decide whether or not someone is guilty of a crime. The jury system has been around for ages (dating back hundreds of years in England) and probably will be for a long time. But is the system still working? Is it worth it? Should we continue to use juries to decide cases? The jury system shouldn’t remain an option because jurors tend to be incompetent, it’s not really worth the effort, and jurors aren’t professionally educated to decide on these cases.
Jurors have the freedom to employ jury nullification when reaching a verdict, yet they are usually advised to reach a verdict whether they agree with the law or not. In some cases, jurors have opted to declare a defendant not guilty when
Today we are here to speak upon todays Jury system and how it can be improved or should we have it removed. Well I'm here to tell you my side. I think jury duty at this point should be eliminated and done for because its has more convicted, its random people you can say with no experience on handling a situation like this with a “criminal” they don't know how to assess the situation at hand like if you were to go with the bench, and also some of the jurors don't even pay attention to the case they are there because they have to. In the jury system there has been more cases than in the bench for the year 2010.
The news is riddled with salacious stories about the criminal activities across the nation. It can seem like these events are taking place in another world, very far from your own. But when you find yourself being charged with a criminal act, the situation hits much closer to home, literally. There is a great amount of detail and skill involved in successfully telling your side of the story to the judge and the jury. Though some defendants choose to represent themselves at trial, this is never recommended! Your defense attorney should provide the court with a biased version of your story, meaning they should present you in a good light, emphasize the events that will lessen the chances of you being found guilty, and make the jury see you as someone who is innocent.
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.
Juror 6 is the one that changed his mind during the second vote. Juror 6 is an old man who is a bit careful and a bit slow. However, he takes in opinions that appeal to him. When the jurors were discussing why the boy had clearly done it, five had passed and let six go. Six states, “I don’t know. I started to be convinced, you know, with the testimony from those people across the hall”(Rose 20). This clearly states that Juror 6 started to be convinced, but he wasn’t sure all the way. This is an important clue because this is in fact happening in the United States. The Presumption of Innocence is practiced in all U.S. courts, and it states that if one is not completely sure that the defendant is guilty, then they must declare him not-guilty.
A present day trial court such as state-level courts or the United States supreme court will hear many cases of civil and criminal actions. They are often a long, drug out process that takes several days, weeks, and sometimes months to find an outcome. There are many laws in place to assure rights to the accused such as amendments not allowing cruel or unusual punishment and appointing an attorney for the suspect if he or she can not afford one. In the case of Socrates back in 400B.C, he did not have this luxury. He was forced to try to prove his own innocence against the 3 prosecutors and his punishment was extreme considering his so called crimes.
While evaluating the advantages of a plea jury I found that a plea jury would be under the supervision of the courts and the defendant would give his plea to a guilty plea jury (Appleman, 2010). The plea jury would then decide on the facts to see if the allegations fit the offense, whether the plea was knowing and voluntary and if the sentence proposed is appropriate for the offense. Also, I found that a plea jury’s critical role would be to listen to the defendant’s allocutions instead of explaining his offenses to the judge.
will become clear in the interview video. It was then time for Jorge’s attorneys to go before the jury, and he stood when the prosecutor took her seat.
The responsibility of the jury in criminal and civil cases is to “determine questions of fact” and apply law as set out by the judge and then, with these facts and evidence, come up with a verdict.
The Selection and Role of a Jury in a Criminal Trial This assignment focuses on how a jury is selected and its role in a
Initially, the trial judge instructs the jurors of their responsibility in the observance of the law, and at the conclusion of trial, the judge and the involved parties are not permitted in closing arguments to persuade the jury to blatantly disregard the law (Hall, 2015). Jury nullification occurs when jurors do not convict the defendant because they are convinced the crime or punishment is too harsh or unfavorable (Hall, 2015). Furthermore, this rule only applies to the defense, specifically when the defense has an interest in arguing that the jury should acquit and not follow the law, regardless of guilt (Hall, 2015). Jury nullification is not permitted in most, if not all jurisdictions, and it applies to both the prosecution and the
The heart of the American Judicial System is the determination of the innocence or guilt of the accused. At the beginning of the play, the jurors all feel that the man is guilty for murdering his father and they all wanted to convict him without carrying out a detailed discussion. The persistence of juror eight, however, plays a significant role in ensuring that the correct and fair verdict is delivered. The judicial system maintains that the defendant does not have an obligation to prove his innocence. The fact is not clear to everyone as Juror 8 reminds Juror 2 about it. The fact is a key element of the judicial system and assists in the process of coming up with a verdict. The defendant is usually innocent until proven guilty. Another element of the judicial system that comes out in the play is for a verdict to stand it must be unanimous. Unanimity ensures that the
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.