What are the advantages of a jury in the UK?

Juries pool their common sense and arrive at a verdict having listened to all of the evidence. For many lawyers working daily in the criminal courts the jury system is considered to be the fairest method of reaching a decision as to whether a defendant is guilty or not guilty of a criminal offence.

What are the pros and cons of the jury system?

Jury vs. Judge: Pros and Cons of Each Option

  • Jury or judge?
  • At a jury trial, the outcome of a case is decided by a group of law-abiding citizens.
  • Jurors have more compassion than judges.
  • Juries tend to be easier audiences than judges.
  • Jurors can be too emotional.
  • Jurors can be unpredictable.

What are the disadvantages of the jury system?

List of the Disadvantages of a Jury System

  • Juries are under no obligation to offer a decision based on facts.
  • Inaccurate jury decisions happen more often in violent and capital incidents.
  • The jury system still represents classism within society.
  • Juries aren’t always required to come up with a unanimous verdict.

Is the UK jury system fair?

Juries in England and Wales are fair, effective and efficient, according to a report by UCL’s Professor Cheryl Thomas, published today.

Why the jury system is flawed?

Juries are biased. Juries disregard the judge’s instructions or the law itself when reaching a verdict. Juries know too much about a case from media publicity to be able to render a fair judgment, or juries know too little and are unable to comprehend the issues in complex cases.

Why is the jury system good?

Trial by jury is democratic in that the community participates in a vital way before people accused of serious crime can be convicted. Juries, because they do not give reasons for their decisions, can bring the conscience of the community to bear on issues in a trial in a way that a judge cannot do.

What are advantages of the jury system?

These can include: The chance to have a decision made by a number of people rather than one single person, which can reduce the likelihood of bias against you or your circumstances. The opportunity to be tried by your peers, who may be more likely to relate to your personal situation than a judge or magistrate.

How effective is the jury system UK?

The research found little evidence that juries are not fair. It also looked at the effectiveness of juries and found that, once sworn, juries reached verdicts by deliberation on 89% of all charges and that juries were discharged in less than 1% of cases.

Is the jury system good or bad?

Overall, the jury system plays an extremely important role in our democracy. Just like voters decide the fate of political nominees, juries give ordinary people the power to decide an accused criminal’s fate, to decide what is right and wrong, and the power to override the law in the name of doing good for society.

How effective is the jury system?

The jury system is more reliable than a single judge as it draws credibility from numbers and is represented by members of society. The jury system achieves justice for individuals and society as it ensures that individuals are protected from the abuses of state power.

Why juries should be abolished?

Removing the jury process — from selection to deliberation — could seriously shorten the length of trials and allow more defendants to actually have their case heard by professionals equipped to understand their complex issues.

Why juries are better than judges?

Jury trials tend to last longer than non-jury trials, thus raising legal costs. Judges tend to be stricter on legal technicalities and procedures during a jury trial than a non-jury trial.