Juries

• Advantage:

  One advantage of the jury is that the public have confidence in the criminal justice system and the jury is considered one of the fundamentals of the democratic society. Trial by jury has happened for a long time, it was established by the Magna carta 1215.Objections were raised to withdrawing the right to trial by jury for cases of minor theft by the pressure group Justice and Liberty as they thought it infringed human rights
• Advantage:

  Another advantage is that there is open justice. The use of jury is viewed as making the legal system more open and justice is seen to be done as members of the public have an active role in the legal system and trial takes place in public. As points of law have to be explained to the jury it makes it easier for the D to follow the trial and understand the case more easily. Lord Devlin said juries are the lamp that shows that freedom lives, meaning the right to be tried by one's peers is a support of liberty against the state.
• Advantage:

  Another advantage is that due to secrecy of the jury room, the jury are free from pressure in their discussions. Section 8 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and t he Criminal justice and Courts Act 2015 make it a criminal offence to disclose the juries deliberations.