Jurors

• Roles of the jury?

  Listen to evidence and the cross examination by prosecution and defence,

  Decide facts of the case,

  Listen to judge’s summing up of evidence and legal directions.
• Jury Room

  Secret discussion (cannot repeat anything said in the jury room - Contempt of Court Act 1981),

  Reach a verdict - unanimous (all 12 agree) or majority verdicts may be allowed by the judge after 2 hours (10:2 or 11:11).
• Delivery of verdict

  Public announcement of verdict by foreman (no reason given),

  Judge will sentence, not the jury.
• Qualification of jurors?

  • Aged 18-75
  • Electoral register
  • Lived in UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands for at least five years since 13th birthday
• Disqualification of jurors?

  • Disqualified for life if they’ve been given a custodial sentence for five years or more, had an extended sentence, or imprisoned for public protection
  • Disqualified for 10 years if they’ve had a sentence for less than five years, or a community sentence
  • Also disqualified if on bail, or suffering/have suffered from mental illness.
• Deferral and excuses for jurors:

  • Exams/pre-booked holiday, etc.
  • Aged 65-75
  • In the armed forces with permission from their commanding officer.
• Selection of the jury

  • Central Summoning Bureau select 150 names from the electoral register
  • Sent a summons in the post
• Vetting

  • Police criminal record checks (Mason) and wider background checks for terrorism cases (ABC Trial)
• Challenging


  ● Wait in the jury pool and 15 taken to a courtroom

  ● D & P can challenge the ‘array’ (Romford Jury) – challenge the whole jury, if chosen in an

  unrepresentative / biased way

  ● D & P can challenge for cause (Wilson) – challenge one juror (e.g. have connection with the case)

  ● Only P can ask a juror to ‘stand by for the Crown’ put a juror to the bottom of the list if a juror is ‘manifestly unsuitable’ (but no reason needs to be given!). The juror will only be used if there are no others suitable.
• Advantages of the jury - Jury Equity

  They can decide the verdict on their ideas of morality (Kronlid)
• Advantages of juries - Selection of the jury room

  Contempt of Court Act 1981 states it is an offence to repeat anything said in the jury room – it allows

  honesty and there’s no pressure from judge / lawyers
• Advantages of juries - Open justice

  This means ordinary people to be involved in the justice system (long established right to trial by peers - since the Magna Carta 1215)
• Disadvantages - Perverse verdicts

  This mean juries could ignore the law (Kronlid)
• Disadvantages of juries - secrecy of the jury room

  Contempt of Court Act 1981 states it is an offence to repeat anything said in the jury room, so how do

  they decide the verdict sensibly? (Young)
• Disadvantages of juries - jury nobbling

  Costs taxpayer £4.5 million every year to protect jurors from nobbling