‘Jury Duty’ is considered to be a important responsibility of every citizen. It is controlled by the sheriff’s office which creates a Jury Roll.

The Jury Roll contains the list of names of ordinary citizens selected at random.

Jury duty is considered to be a important aspect in the court system

It is based on a person’s right to be tried by ordinary members of the community who will listen to the evidence and decide the outcome of the case.

It is taken seriously by the court as it is thought to be a safe guard of the principles of democracy.

You will be informed by the Sheriff’s office that you are on Jury roll for the next twelve months.

If you are selected for Jury Duty you will be sent a summons where you receive all the important information; Time, date, location etc.

Jury lists are also published in the newspapers.

The Jury must listen to evidence of a case to make a judgement on whether or not someone is guilty.

The evidence must be beyond reasonable doubt which means that the jury is confident that the evidence is enough to convict someone.

The jury has the right to ask questions of the witness (judge usually asks questions on behalf)

Make an unanimous decision otherwise a new trial is ordered.

In a civil case, the jury must listen to the evidence and make their decision based on who they think is telling the truth.

The jury must make a decision, usually decided on a majority vote.

The jury must be free from influence so that a fair judgment can be made.

The jury must be discharged if the judge believes that they have prior knowledge of the case.

The roles are important as they set expectations for the ‘case’ so that they know where the jury stands. The roles of the jury allow the decision to be made by more than one person. They are not controlled by the government and they are impartial.

This gives the ‘court’ confidence that they have a fair chance to voice their evidence.

ROLES

There are many factors for and against as to whether juries work.For:

The final decision is made by one or more person Ordinary citizens are given the opportunity to play an

active role in the admiration of Justine It provides an opportunity for the community to

understand the final decision Against

The juries don’t have to give reasons for their decisions

juries can be persuaded by the skills of clever lawyers Ordinary people may not understand complex legal

technicalities