Juries

• A Jury decides a defendant's guilt
• there are 12 jurors in a jury
• Lay people are those that are not legally qualified
• Juries are taken from the electoral role and decide guilt of the defendants in a Crown Court.
• Jurors must be between the ages of 18 and 75 to qualify as a juror under the Juries Act 1974 as well as being a resident in the UK for at least 5 years from their 13th birthday.
• Juries Act 1974
• Those permanently disqualified from jury service are; anyone sentenced for life, those who have served 5 or more years in prison, any person suffering from a mental disorder (Mental Health Act 2013).
• Mental Health Act 2013
• Deaf people cannot sit as this would mean a 13th jury member.
• Disqualification from jury service for 10 years; any person who served a custodial sentence, suspended sentence or a community order.
•   No reasons can be given for a jury’s verdict
• Juries are independent without fear or pressure from the judge as to their decision.
• Juries are allowed a majority verdict if a unanimous decision is not reached. Majority can be 11-1, or 10-2 whereas unanimous is 12-0.
• What jurors discuss must remain confidential and within the deliberation room. Failure to do this could lead to contempt of court under section 8(1) Contempt of Court Act 1981. It is punishable with a fine, or even a prison sentence
• section 8(1) Contempt of Court Act 1981
• Public Confidence - fundamentals of a democratic society and being judged by our peers
• Jury equity- decide on fairness and not the word of law
• Open system of justice - advantage to juries
• Lawyers explain things clearly so that the general public can understand and follow the proceeding - advantage to juries
• Allows the public to take part in the administration of justice - advantage to juries
• Secrecy of the jury room - not influenced by outside pressure - advantage to juries
• • Neutrality-a jury should be impartial and being a jury of 12 any prejudices can be cancelled out. - advantage to juries
• • Perverse decisions - can be a protest against the law - disadvantage to juries
• • Radical views/bias as there is no right to a multi-racial jury - disadvantage to juries
• Media coverage and social media may influence jurors.
• Lack of understanding, especially for fraud trials, can make them complex, time consuming, and expensive.
• The secrecy of the jury room means there is no way of knowing how they came to the decision and the possibility of questionable outcomes which cannot be appealed.
• It is compulsory to do jury service when called, which is unpopular and could lead to rushed decisions.
• Lord Denning once said of the jury system that 12 persons selected at random are likely to be a cross section of people as a whole, thus representing the views of the common man.