Law Juries Essay

Jurors are an important part of the English legal system and these are ordinary people who deal with serious criminal system. As it is a civic duty they do not have a choice than to do it.
Jurors are ordinary citizen’s men and women of the district who are randomly introduced into the trial procedure to be the arbiter of the facts of the case, strengthen the authority of the legal system. Slapper and Kelly (2010). However, Martin (2010) mentions that jurors are partly middle class and younger than previous when qualification was about owning of property to a certain assessable value. This limit meant that women, younger people and ordinary people who were less likely to posses a property were prevented from becoming jurors.
The selection is done by the Central Jury Summoning Bureau who generates names of the probable jurors using the computer. Summons are then sent out with a form to return confirming that the person does not fall onto disqualifying group. It is then from this resulting list, that the jury panel is formed and it is also at this stage that the vetting will take place. These selected members of the jury they must be between 18 and 70 years of age for them to be capable to serve and they must be on the electoral record. They should be citizens of the country as from the age of 13 years for at least five years. They will then be given instructions and notes which will explain the process of the jury service and functions. They also receive papers that tells them where and when to go to court. (Vanstone B et al 2001)
Once selected, jury service is compulsory to person that is eligible, and are not disqualified or excused. Failure to attend court as planned will be considered as contempt of court and it may result in a fine. On the day of the particular court case the twelve jurors are selected by random ballot and they have to be less than nine particularly in criminal cases. A team selected to say the judgment in court (Elliot and Quinn 2001)
Juries sit in less than four per cent of all criminal trials. They make a decision on a case that goes to the Crown Court and only where the defendant pleads not guilty. They listen carefully, gather conclusive evidence and see the exhibits, such as items involved in the crime, photographs and written source, juries in the court as witness taking notes which then will be used in the court room and the jury room. The jury then consider the evidence and decide on the proof in that criminal trial. The jurors will retire to the jury where they will discuss it at length and in secret (Martin J 2010)
On discussing the case, they apply the law to the proof and the evidence that they have heard in the court in order for them to come up with a judgment. Although a verdict should be unanimous, the judge may allow majority verdict which will amount to no less than ten members of 11 or 12 of the jurors, if they have been deliberating for more than one two hours. This is done to speed up the decision and be capableble to make an agreement with a majority. Once they are back in the court the foreman then reads the verdict and states the numbers agreeing and disagreeing with the verdict . they can also make notes through the trial for them to refer to in the deliberating room. If any question arises while in the jury room, they will note them down and give it to the judge. The jurors will afterwards be called back in court for the questions to be answered. (Mitchell 2007)
The present system of selection includes vetting people, this promotes fairness by excluding those with biased views that might have an effect on other members of the jurors, and might add by putting pressure on others. This helps protect the security of the country by eliminating those who are disqualified from serving as a jury. This helps random selections that are represented by people from different classes of life and different perspective in order to attain justices. This is also done to check if they are

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