juries Flashcards
what does the s1 juries act 1974 say about who is eligible for jury service
must be between 18-75 years old
must have been a UK resident for at least 5 years consecutively since 13th birthday
give 2 examples of what kind of mental disorder would make a person unfit to serve on a jury
psychiatric disorder e.g psychopathy
resident of an institution or hospital or attending medical practitioner for treatment
what 2 things can permanently disqualify a person from a jury
life sentences
a custodial sentence over 5 years
what 2 things can temporarily(10 year) disqualify a person from a jury
any sentence under 5 years
those who are on bail are also banned for duration of bail
what makes you incapable of being in a jury
blind as they cant watch cctv footage
cannot understand english( as its an english court of law)
what are some reasons for cancelling or postponing a jury service
wedding
exams
work commitments
childcare commitments
pre booked holiday
which act talks about excusals and deferals about jury service
s9 of the juries act 1974
why are people such as judges,lawyers, and police officers not allowed to sit in a jury
there is a worry of bias
what is step 1 of jury selection
names are selected from the electoral register
what is step 2 of jury selection
summons are sent to those people whos names have been selected
what is step 3 of jury selection
those summoned must notify the court if there is any reason they can or cannot do jury service and if they dont provide a reason they are fined £1000
what is step 4 of the jury selection
if summoned you are expected to attend a minimum of 10 working days of jury service,if trial is longer then jurors will ask if they can serve longer
what is vetting
this means checking potential jurors being checked for their suitability
what is a type of vetting
police checks
what is the purpose of police checks
to ensure no potential juror is disqualified
its also a wider background check
when are police checks allowed
only in exeptioned circumstances
e.g terroist cases or cases involving national security
how many jurors from the 15 selected get to sit in the jury
12
what is a challenge to the array
to ensure if the jury was unrepresentative or selected in a bias way
what is the case for challenge to the array
R v Fraser
d was from ethnic background and whole jury was white
what is the challenge for cause
ensures the juror isnt disqualified or may know someone in the case
what is the case for challenge for cause
R v Wilson+Sprason
wife of a standing policemen stood on the jury
what does stand by mean when asked by the prosecution
it means that the prosecution can swap out 3 jury memebers for those not selected
what do jurys promise when swearing to the court clerk
to give a true verdict according to evidence
what are some concerns about jurors during trial
easy for jurors to research defendants or other relevant details in the case
jury deliberations take place in secret so easy to use the internet to research and share information with others
how where the concerns resolved
parliament passed an act to try and resolve the 2 concerns
what was the act parliament passed on to resolve the concerns
the criminal justice and courts act 2015
what does the criminal justice and courts act 2015 state
-jurors must hand in any electronic device before they enter the jury room to decide a verdict
-jury officer has power to search a juror to check for any such devices
-it is now illegal to research a case on the internet
-it is a criminal offence for any juror to share any researched information with fellow jurors
