Juries

Question 1

Qualifications (Juries Act 1974) (Criminal Justice Act 2003)

Answer 1

1. Aged 18 - 75
2. Registered on the electoral roll
3. resident in the UK for over 5 years since the age of 13

Question 2

Appointment

Answer 2

• No formal appointment
• Once selected, they must swear an oath to make their decision fairly.
  This enables a person to serve

Question 3

Selection

Answer 3

• Selected at random by the Jury Central Summoning Bureau
• Jurors can be vetted by a police check (or in exceptional cases by a wider background check)
• A summons will be sent by post telling the person when and where to go

Question 4

Permanent Disqualification

Answer 4

• 5+ years in prison
• extended prison sentence
• life imprisonment
• mental illness
• suspended sentence
• on bail
• community order

Question 5

10 year disqualification

Answer 5

If in the last ten years:
- served any sentence
- suspended sentence
- community order

Question 6

Deferral

Answer 6

• Courts discretion
• postponed service
• delay for up to 12 months

Question 7

Excusal

Answer 7

• Full time serving members of the Jury will only be excused for good reasons
• An excusal means a perspn doesn’t need to do their jury duty service if they were able

Question 8

Challenge for Cause

Answer 8

Individual juror is challenged for a cause, eg. known to a witness or defendant/ connected to the case

Wilson and Sprason - The wife of the police officer on the case

Question 9

Challenge to the array

Answer 9

The whole jury is unrepresentative

Romford Jury - 9/12 jurors lived on the same street

Question 10

Prosecution right to stand by

Answer 10

Only the prosecution can do this
They “stand by” a potential juror - they put them at the back of the list
Reason does not need to be provided for this
Rarely used

Question 11

Role of the Jury

Answer 11

• hear indictable and some triable either way offences
• can not share case details
• come to a unanimous decision
• decide if the defendant is guilty or not
• foreman gives the verdict
• Criminal Justice Act 2015 makes it illegal for anyone to share case details or for anyone to ask about case details

Question 12

Role of the jury - Civil Court

Answer 12

• rare
• 8 members may be asked to sit
• defamation, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution cases.
• Senior Courts Act 1981: High Court cases
• County Courts Act 1984: County Court
• Coroners and Justice Act 2009: Coroners inquiries
• in a defamation case, the jury must decide if the defendant is liable and how much compensation is awarded to the claimant

Question 13

Jury Evaluation: Advantages

Answer 13

• Public Confidence
• Jury Equity
• Open System of Justice
• Secrecy of the Jury
• Impartiality

Question 14

Jury Evaluation: Disadvantages

Answer 14

• perverse decision
• secrecy of the jury
• jurors and the internet
• racial bias
• media influence