CASE STUDY
jury equity - pointings case what happened
defendant was charged with releasing secret goverment information which he argued was in the public interest the jury found him not guilty despite the judge ruling there was no defence
advantages - what is impartiality
juries should be impartial meaning they should not be connected to anyone involved in the case nor should they have any interest in the case
juries are said to have equity what does this mean ?
this means they return a verdict according to their conscience
CASE STUDY
R v randle and pottle what happened
dedendants helped a spy escape a prison 25 years later they wrote a book about it and they were charged but the jury found them not quilty
thomas - are juries fair ?
found 31% of juries actually understood the directions the judge gave them meaning that the jury have basic or no actual understanding of law
disadvantages - peverse desicion
sometimes juries can reach a desicion that is deemed un reasonable
what is the role of juries ?
split functioning
the judge decides the point of law and then the juries decide bases on the facts
majority verdict
if after 2 hours the jury has not reached a unanimous descision the judge can call it back into court and decide based on majority vote
negatives of juries
unfair as some juries may be baised towards certian groups eg race , religion , gender
juries may not have great knowledge on the law and therefore make descion that are not consistent or accurate
