Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Juries
- Qualification
- age 18-70
- resident in UK for at least 5 years
- on the electoral register
- Selection
- before court
- random
selection from
electoral
register
- At court
- 15 jurors
allocated at
random to a
trial
- 12 selected in a further
randomised selection
inside the courtroom
- Challenge
- juror may be asked
to stand down
- if they know someone
related to the case
- if the judge agrees they are
unsuitable for this trial
Anmerkungen:
- for example - someone with a KKK tattoo involved in the trial of a black defendant.
- deferrment/excusal
- excusal
Anmerkungen:
- you do not have to jury service at all
- disability
Anmerkungen:
- only if the disability means they couldn't carry out the duties of a juror
- have been a juror twice before
- deferrment
Anmerkungen:
- put off your jury service until a later date
- work commitments
- expecting a baby
Anmerkungen:
- around the time of the trial
- caring responsibilities
- exams
- pre-booked holiday
- Jury vetting
Anmerkungen:
- 'vetting' means checking their suitability
- basic check
- all jurors are checked for criminal records
- Background check
Anmerkungen:
- only in cases concerning national security
Anmerkungen:
- for example - cases where undercover MI5 officers give evidence
Might put them at risk
might give away secrets
- must be authorised by
the attorney genral
Anmerkungen:
- the government's legal adviser
- checks people's work
history, political views, security files
- Role of the jury
- usually 12 on a jury
Anmerkungen:
- can be reduced if a juror goes sick in the middle of the trial
- nominate a foreman
Anmerkungen:
- the person who addresses the court on behalf of the whole jury,
delivers the verdict
- listen to evidence
- decide a verdict
Anmerkungen:
- guilty or not guilty
jury talk amongst themselves in the jury room and decide
- unanimous
Anmerkungen:
- a verdict normally has to be agreed by the WHOLE jury
Where agreement cannot be reached a judge may decide to accept a 11-1 verdict or a 10-2.
Cannot go lower than 10 jurors agreeing.
- rules of the jury
- must not research
Anmerkungen:
- the verdict must be based ONLY on evidence presented on court.
jurors must not research the case at all
- secrecy
Anmerkungen:
- Jurors must not discuss the case with ANYONE other than the other jurors involved.
including after the trial has finished
- must not
contact anyone
involved
Anmerkungen:
- Joanne Frail caused the collapse of a million £ drugs trial when she Facebook messaged one of the defendants.
She was sentenced to 8 months in prison for 'contempt of court'
- evaluation
- advantages
- trial by peers
Anmerkungen:
- an historically important part of British law.
Magna Carta 1215
- hard to corrupt
Anmerkungen:
- with 12 people involved it would be very hard to bribe or pressure the jury to make a particular decision
- Fairness
Anmerkungen:
- Juries are not 'case-hardened' like magistrates or legal professionals.
This is probably the 1st trial they have heard so will decide on the evidence rather than any prejudices they have
- secrecy
Anmerkungen:
- the rules about secrecy mean that a juror can speak openly in the jury room without worrying about reprisals
- disadvantages
- expensive
Anmerkungen:
- expenses and loss of earnings have to be paid to each juror
The administration of getting people into court is costly
- secrecy
Anmerkungen:
- this can be a disadvantage because the reasons for a verdict are never explained.
Lawyers cannot learn from this process
- perverse verdicts
Anmerkungen:
- Juries can sometimes make surprising decisions, sometimes rejecting clear evidence of guilt for a defendant that they sympathise with
- Disqualification
- permanent
- served a
sentence
>5 years
- disqualified for 10 years
- served a sentence < 5 years
- serious mental imapirment