What Roles Should Be A Jury In A Criminal Case Study

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Introduction The main role of a jury in a case is to decide the outcome or verdict of the trial, after carefully considering all the evidence given and points made. This essay will explain role or juries in criminal cases, the procedures that govern them and assess whether the “infusion” of “community values” makes the “most compelling justification of the jury system” (W200 manual 1 unit 6 and 7 p296). The jury in a criminal case will sit in court and hear all evidence that is presented before them by the defence and the prosecution. The defence and prosecution will make statements and then the judge will weight up the evidence. Then the jury will leave the courtroom to deliberate and make a decision of guilty or not guilty to all the charges made. A jury must not be influenced by the judge, however then can seek support from the judge on areas of law that they are not sure about. The juries hear the case and based on the evidence given by both sides, they must decide in favor of the defence or prosecution. The juries are also responsible for deciding the amount of damages that must be paid. It would be unfair for the judges to be allowed to choose for example their friends or associates to be a member of the jury panel as this may lead to unfair trials and injustices. To avoid this from happening 12 people are selected out of the millions of people in the UK at random to be the jury for a trial. Jurors must be selected at random for a fair trial to take place. There is certain criterion which makes people eligible or ineligible to be a member of the jury. Potential jurors can be anyone who is 18 to 70, on the electoral register and has lived in the UK for 5 years is eligible since the age of 13. If a person has not been in ... ... middle of paper ... ...itting a crime, and has been sentenced for more than 5 years, they have already been punished but are disqualified based on the assumption that their criminal past means they are not able to make fair decisions in court. Also if a person is not on the electoral register it doesn’t mean they are not capable of being a reliable member of the jury. Because these restrictions disqualify so many people of society, it does not fully incorporate the perspectives, values and preferences of the whole community; it only incorporates those members of the community that happen to meet the criteria. Furthermore societies in the UK are so diverse with different cultures, religious beliefs and values that the infusion of community values into criminal law could lead to more complications and differences, because ultimately people will have different perceptions of right and wrong.

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