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.
However, the jury system is still very important to the justice
system.
The role of the jury in NSW
A jury is a group of people from the community with all sorts of
backgrounds, beliefs, religions, education levels and ages, who
listens to the evidence of the cases and helps the court to decide the
outcome of the cases. Jury duty in NSW is a very important
responsibility, providing a link between the justice system and the
community.
The role of the jury in criminal trials
In criminal trials, the jury consists of 12 people and the jury’s duty
is to decide whether the person accused is guilty or not guilty of a
crime. The jury listens to the judge’s instructions, information given
out by the prosecutor and most importantly, the evidence. Then the 12
jurors must agree on the same decision whether the accused is guilty
or not. If they decide that the accused is innocent, he or she will
walk free but if they decide that the accused is guilty, a punishment
will be given to him or her. However the punishment is not decided by
the juries, it is decided by the judge based on the seriousness of the
crime.
The role of the jury in civil trials
In civil trials, the jury consists of 12 people and the jury’s duty is
to decide which party is right or wrong and the amount of money that
should be paid for the damages. There are 2 or more parties in a civil
case-the ‘plaintiff and the ‘respondent’. The plaintiff ...
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...participate in
the justice system
- The use of juries leaves the judges free from the pressure of
deciding cases
Disadvantages
- All jurors must agree on the same verdict for the final
decision-guilty or not guilty-even though they’re against it
- Some people are not allowed to participate
- Some people may not understand the legal system
- Juries cannot give reasons for the decision they made
In conclusion, I think the jury system is an acceptable system because
it plays an important part in the justice system. Not only it gives an
opportunity to the community to participate in the justice system it
gives an opportunity to the person accused to be judged equally by a
number of people. Also the juries are independent and they are not
controlled by the government, therefore it is a fair system.