What Role Does Jury Service Play - 1436 Words

What role does jury service play in our democracy? Does the exclusion of a juror on the grounds of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation affect a defendant’s right to an impartial trial? By Swaleha Bhula In today’s modern and culturally changing American society, the jury plays a crucial role in our democracy. Jury service allows defendants to exercise their right to a fair and impartial trial. However, in recent years there have been incidents where jurors have been excluded on the grounds of race, gender, religion and sexual orientation. These exclusions have a great impact on the fairness of a trial. The Jury It was 1791 when the right to a trial â€Å"by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed† was guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth Amendment intended for the jury to consist of twelve jurors. However, in today’s cases most states utilize a jury consisting of only six jurors. The requirements for becoming a juror are fairly simple and straight forward. According to the American Bar Association, â€Å"All persons should be eligible for jury service except those who: 1. Are less than eighteen years of age; or 2. Are not citizens of the United States; or 3. Are not residents of the jurisdiction in which they have been summoned to serve; or 4. Are not able to communicate in the English language and the court is unable to provide aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of 12 Angry Men By Reginald Rose731 Words   |  3 Pagessystem, the role of jurors, w hat to expect to come at you at the deliberation, it also gives us an insight on the law, how English was used in America in the 1950s and also shows us what jury serving looked like in the 1950s. Later in our life, we will all be called to serve in jury service and although we are given information on what happens we should still know some second-hand information because if we are in a situation, we will know what exactly to do. The play gives us an insight on what the roleRead MoreCrime Scene Reconstruction1438 Words   |  6 PagesReconstructing a crime scene takes a lot of effort from experienced law enforcement, medical examiners, and criminalists. All of these professionals give unique perspectives to develop a crime-scene reconstruction. Forensic scientists also play a vital role in helping to reconstruct the crime scene. They use the crime-scene reconstruction to show events that occurred prior to, during, and after a crime was committed. (Saferstein, 2009) There are many things that these reconstructions can do toRead MorePlato s Apology Questions On Socrates1104 Words   |  5 Pagesgroups of accusers or accusations What/who are these? Socrates faces old accusers who for years have accused him of things he has not done. Socrates fears these accusers but he believes that they are not the worst of them. Socrates believes the far more dangerous accusers are the ones who have grown up as children in these falsehood beliefs and have these views embed in their minds. Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth and not believing in the Gods. 02) Why does Socrates say he developed a badRead MoreEssay on Ilm M3.11 Building the Team1585 Words   |  7 Pageswithin the workplace and what effects and concerns a manager needs to be aware of. Teams are more than just groups of people assembled in the same area, they are a collection of individuals dedicated to a common purpose and with a series of detailed performance targets, working together with complementary skills. Teams of people are encountered in various scenarios, not just in the workplace, but also throughout life, such as sports, associations, charities and voluntary services. Effective teamsRead MoreJeffrey Baldwin was just five years old when he passed away on November 30th, 2002, just under two1500 Words   |  6 Pagessit for hours in the cold dark room where the windows were covered and the vents sealed shut (Estate, 2006). Sitting there in his waste waiting for the door to be unlocked, Jeffrey suffered. When Jeffrey and his sister were finally allowed out for what the grandparents called â€Å"exercise,† they would be forced to walk in circles around the kitchen or dining room. If either of them slowed down or stopped, heavy and large objects were thrown at them leaving serious tissue, muscular and bone damage (EstateRead MoreDescribe the Role of Magistrates in Civil and Criminal Cases3788 Words   |  16 PagesDescribe the role of magistrates in civil and criminal cases A Lay- person in the context of a lay magistrate is a person with no legal qualifications or training in law. Their purpose is to provide experience of society and ensure that the common people’s values are represented when delivering a verdict. Most magistrates are lay magistrates and they are also referred to as justices of the peace. There are roughly 30,000 lay magistrates sitting on the bench and they usually sit in threes but sectionRead MoreCriminal and Civil Law in the English Legal System Essay1290 Words   |  6 Pagestrial. Magistrates can impose conditions to meet their concerns about granting bail. Courts have limited information on which to base bail decisions, with the exception of experimental bail information schemes involving the probation service. Normally prosecutors and sometimes defence lawyers make representations as to whether bail should be granted or not. There is a high degree of correlation between prosecutors representations and magistrates decisions. One problem theRead MoreRacism By Michell Alexander s Book, The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration1457 Words   |  6 Pages Racism is very much alive in modern day America. Although African Americans are no longer enslaved or segregated, after reading this book I do believe that they definitely have a harder time than a white person does in society. In Michell Alexander’s book, â€Å"The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness† she touches on the many injustices that African Americans face in everyday life. While she makes good points throughout the book, there are some things that I did not completelyRead MoreThe Judicial Process Of Course998 Words   |  4 Pagesfairness in the judicial process of course, a jury alone does not guarantee a fair and impartial trial. VIIII- Prosecutors’ role in civil law and common law systems A-Prosecutor in civil law systems The Public Prosecution has two major functions, which are to file criminal actions when acting as public prosecutors before a criminal court and the right to initiate actions, even if the plaintiff has relinquished his right to do so, public prosecutors exanimate crimes, visit crimes’ scenes, questionRead MorePaper2439 Words   |  10 PagesAnswers, with Visuals Rodney Howard Professor: Holly Sprinkle English Research and Writing September, 1st, 2015 Introduction There is a problem that exists with hung juries. It should be suggested that a supermajority be required to convict, and a mere majority be required to acquit. These reforms would effectively abolish the hung jury. We need to stop giving holdouts the power to prevent convictions and I feel that all jurors should not have to agree, only the majority. Presently, both acquittals