The Jury System: The Consequences Of The Jury System

Our current trial by jury system was originally adopted from Anglo-Saxon English common law. Prior to juries, the United States had much more rudimentary methods that were in affect, such as bench trials. A bench trial consists of solely the judge determining the final verdict, versus a jury possessing that responsibility. Proceeding with a trial by jury assures that there will be a margin of error, simply due to the fact that the jurors are human, and are susceptible to human fallibility. Whether the jury is cognizant of it or not, emotions such as pre-determined bias and favoritism can impede or bring the case to a halt all together. According to Andy Leipold, a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois College of Law, the number of jury trial conviction rates have increased from 75 percent in 1946 to 84 percent from 1989 to 2002 (Krause). This sudden anomaly can be attributed to the influx of uneducated jurors, the increased cost of proceeding to trial, and improper juror selection.

According to the Seminole County Sheriffs Office “About $33,000 was spent to sequester the six female jurors who acquitted George Zimmerman of any crime for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin” (Schneider). In addition, the sheriff’s office also spent $320,000 in total overall expenses (Schneider). In fact, according to Schneider during the course of the trial the jurors felt the need to visit the local movie theater and watch “World War Z” and “The Lone Ranger” (Schneider). Obviously all these absurd expenses were paid for by local taxpayers, proving just how costly jury trials can really be on the community. High profile cases such as the trial of Andrew Zimmerman require a significant amount of security detail, overtime hours, and juror