What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Chris12 » Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:26 pm

So in todays newspaper I read a piece about Jury duty in great Britain. How the British are proud of having a jury duty and having exported it to countries as America and Australia. I read politicians wanting to abolish is usually generates a backlash.

So what is everyone opinion about this subject?

Personally I'd say the entire concept baffles me. To have a man's life as well as any justice a victim deserves depend on people with often zero knowledge of the law sounds....pretty terrifying to be honest.

A judge who studied the laws for years with decades of courtroom experience and a professional code that makes sure he stay's level headed, all in all a man that knows what he's doing sounds a lot more fair to me.

Why not just have the professionals handle the law is what I always think when I come across the subject.

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Mister Mistoffelees » Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:42 pm

The idea of "a jury of one's peers" is a very old one, and designed to make sure than the accused does not have his or her fate left up to people who have a proverbial axe to grind against the accused. Further, the belief is that one's peers will give an accused a fairer hearing than someone either lower or higher on the social scale than the accused. Not that this system is perfect; juries can go wrong in any number of ways.

But you seem to have a point about the intelligence about the average jury. One of our comedians put it best when he pointed out "a jury consists of twelve people too dumb to be able to get out of jury duty"...
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Chris12 » Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:30 pm

I hold the exact opposite view and thing a judge would give a fairer hearing. A Judge is less likely to fall for a layers trick or to give in to pressure from society that wants harsher punishment.

I wasn't necessarily doubting their intelligence. The law is a complex thing so most people just aren't well versed In it.

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby chadmc90 » Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:55 pm

I do see your point, Chris. Like Mistoffelees said the Jury is supposed to be a fair way to pass sentence on the accused. But corruption is possible and has happened before. But a judge or other law specialists are also prone to the same corruption. There is no perfect way and each option has it's positives and negatives. That's a tough one to answer and is a very debatable topic.
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby drawscore » Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:31 pm

One old joke that made the rounds of the local courthouse, was the District Attorney asking the defendant if he wanted to be tried by the judge alone, or by a dozen people too dumb to get out of jury duty.

Locally, it pays $15 a day, and you have to buy your own lunch. And minimum wage is a bit over $7.00 an hour. In other words, you serve on the jury for eight hours, and get paid for two. Of course, if the jury is sequestered, the state/county pops for the hotel room and morning and evening meals, and the low pay may be brushed off if you get a really interesting case, like a triple axe murder.

Drawscore

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby sarobah » Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:08 am

drawscore wrote:One old joke that made the rounds of the local courthouse, was the District Attorney asking the defendant if he wanted to be tried by the judge alone, or by a dozen people too dumb to get out of jury duty.

Of course the DA would say that, since the accepted wisdom is that juries are more likely to acquit than judges :o)

On the other hand, it is a serious logical fallacy to assume that judges will be impartial or more concerned with dispensing actual justice.
Take Lord Denning as an example... It's better to hang a few innocent men than have the judicial system called into question:
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BTW... I was called up for jury duty last December. I did not get on a jury because it was Christmas week. The most depressing part was the way both prosecution and defence counsel used the challenge system to disqualify potential jurors whom they thought might be prejudiced.
And although it was not my motive... If I had served the entire ten days I was rostered, I would have been paid $1700.
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby drawscore » Wed Apr 02, 2014 11:27 pm

I served on a civil jury. A couple of senior citizens were having a spat, and it wound up in our laps - six jurors and two alternates. I was chosen as foreman. It lasted two days, and the state sent me a check for $30. But it was an interesting experience.

Drawscore

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Tieup1 » Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:04 pm

I have done jury service, I'm glad I did, I found it a very interesting. It gave me an insight as to how the legal system works. It was a little overpowering at first, I'd never been in a courtroom before. The judges were very good, gave out good advice, but it was up to us as a jury to reach our own verdict. It's a big responsibility, to judge a fellow human being, who on your say so, may or may not go to prison.

I'd advise anyone who is called up for jury service, to do it, it is a worthwhile experience.

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Jay Feely » Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:05 pm

Only done it once so painful to me
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Jason Toddman » Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:20 pm

Was selected once. Was disqualified because I knew too much about the case.
A system where juror qualification involves ignorance of the case troubles me; especially if the case is a local one and should be well known to anyone with even a smidgeon of intelligence who bothers to keep up with current events at all.
Anyway, one surefire way to get out of jury duty: just say your mind is made up you think the defendant is guilty. They'll toss you out on your ear!
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby Vukk » Mon Jun 02, 2014 1:31 pm

Have juries/judges got it wrong, of course. Are they corruptible, of course. I would think the judge would more likely look at the facts in the case. It can go both ways. Don't forget though, even in a jury trial, a judge's opinion still matters greatly.

I just wish we could have all cases be like with Perry Mason, he always got the killer (and then some).

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby xtc » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:00 pm

If you are male:
Turn up dressed for gardening, hair in a pony-tail in spite of the bald spot and being old enough to know better, plait your beard and make sure that you wear your ankh earring (only one!) -

- Instant objections!

I know we have a "civic duty" to serve on juries and that the Big Charter requires someone to be tried by a jury of his/(and now) her peers, but that only applied to the nobs (sic) so I reckon that absolves me from passing judgements on my fellows.

I'm now too old to be called. Bit of a shame really!
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Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby EmperorDave » Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:45 pm

I just called for jury duty in a few weeks, I am gonna be a petit juror. I don't got a license but I assume they got me because I voted, ironically I am majoring in criminal justice so I guess I should be thankful for the experience but I hope I don't fall asleep and I hope it is not a stupid case.

Re: What's your opinion on jury duty?

Postby tony2 » Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:19 pm

For all Brits out there- you are familiar with the Magna Carta of 1215 of course, but if you want to see what happens when the decisions are left to just the judges look at your own history under THE COURT OF STAR CHAMBER. Henry the 8th was big on show trials too. Not so big on marriage vows though.
In the US a bench trial (judge alone) is warranted where there is a question of LAW not of FACT. If to a jury, the JURY DECIDES ONLY QUESTIONS OF FACT the judge still rules on questions of law. Those dumb dudes you have been referring to are charged with determining which facts they are being told are true and believable. The British system has a major drawback which the american one does not. If you tell your barrister you did rob the bank, he has to inform the court. There is no attorney / client privilege. In the US, the attorney is there to be sure both sides play by the rules of law and trial. Likewise under the British system, pretrial silence can be admitted against you casting doubt on the story you have in court now. In the US, a criminal defendant doesn't have to even take the stand and pretrial rights and knowledgeable waivers are guarded carefully.

I've been an attorney, prosecutor, judge for 33 years before retiring to tugs and I am one of the few admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court.
Serve on a jury if you can --- without good, honest people to determine the facts, the system falls prey to special interests. It took 4,000 years or so to get the quality of the legal system to where it is today in our countries. There are over 100 countries that haven't come that far yet. Support what we have and keep making it better, after all folks, as Bilbo Bagans said,"My riddling is done." The security of justice now falls to folks like you. I gave my life to it and have no regrets. Will you?
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