Juries are groups of people who weigh the facts of a case and return a verdict, used as a check on the criminal justice system. Small juries are drawn from a broad cross-section of society and are expected to attend the trial and hear the case as it is presented. They must obey the judge’s instructions and determine the veracity of the facts, not the adequacy of the law. Grand juries determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial.
A jury is a group of people who weigh the facts of a case and return a verdict. Juries are used as a check on the criminal justice system so that judges are not omnipotent and are a common feature of the legal system in many nations. The number of people sitting on a petty jury varies by country, with 12 jurors and two alternates being a common number. As a general rule, all citizens are eligible for jury duty and can be subpoenaed by the government when it is necessary to convene a jury for a trial.
Members of a small jury are expected to attend the trial and hear the case as it is presented. Once both parties have rested, the judge gives jury instructions which the jury should use in determining whether or not the defendant is guilty under the law, given the facts presented. A small jury can return a verdict and in some cases can also make recommendations for sentencing and awarding damages.
Small juries are designed to be drawn from a broad cross-section of society so that the trial is as fair as possible. Before sitting down, the jurors are questioned so that people who would be in conflict can be smacked by the jury. For example, in a rape case, rape victims shouldn’t be on the jury, because they might have a hard time seeing the case without emotion. People may also be affected because they don’t understand the language used in the classroom, or they don’t have the mental capacity to evaluate the evidence.
Ideally, a small jury will be able to return a verdict after deliberating privately on the facts of the case and the judge’s instructions. Sometimes, it’s impossible for jurors to agree, in which case they may indicate they’re “hung” or “stuck.” Communications between the jury and the court are usually presented by the jury president or jury president, a member of the jury whom the other members elect as a representative.
It is important for members of a small jury to obey the judge’s instructions, because their role is to determine the veracity of the facts, not the adequacy of the law. For example, jurors may strongly believe that a defendant is guilty, but the terms of the jury instructions may indicate that they are effectively obligated to find the defendant not guilty given the facts presented. This situation can arise when jurors hear testimony that is later stricken from the record as inadmissible. Similarly, jurors may find that a defendant has committed a crime they personally believe is not unlawful, but would be required to vote guilty according to the judge’s instructions.
A related concept, the grand jury, is a jury that is convened to hear evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial. If the jury believes the evidence is strong enough, they can issue an indictment that will allow the legal system to move to trial. Grand juries usually have more members than small juries.
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