What are the advantages of a jury?

What are the advantages of a jury?

The Advantages of a Jury Trial

• 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.

What are the pros of a jury trial?

One of the benefits of a jury trial is that your attorney can more effectively use emotional arguments to persuade the jury to find in your favor. Since civil cases are decided based on the preponderance of evidence as a standard of proof, juries are more likely to respond to a compelling story.

What are the strengths of the jury system?

One strength of the jury is that they can be considered an independent ‘fact finding body’. Consisting of 12 or 6 ordinary men and women, the role of the jury is to determine whether the burden has been met by the prosecutor or plaintiff.

Is it better to have a judge or jury trial?

A bench trial is also faster and the judge often returns a “finding” (the functional equivalent of a verdict) much quicker than in a jury trial. Both the defendant and the People have the right to a jury trial in misdemeanor and felony trials (California Constitution, Article I, § 16 and Penal Code § 699).

How long does a jury trial last?

Once the jury is in deliberation, the times may vary. Yes, there will be breaks during the trial. Depending on the trial judge, the trial schedule will run from 9:00 – 5:00 with 2-15 minute breaks and an hour lunch or the trial will run from 8:30 to 2:30 with 2-20 minute breaks and no lunch.

Do you get sentenced at jury trial?

After all evidence is presented, the judge or jury will consider the evidence and find the Defendant guilty or not guilty. If found guilty, the judge will set a sentencing hearing and the Defendant will be sentenced on the crimes found guilty of.

How long does it take to get a jury trial?

As long as jury fees are paid by either party, it will go to a jury trial. The courts are backed up these days, so it can be up to a year or longer for a case to get to trial.

What happens if all 12 jurors don’t agree?

If the jury cannot agree on all counts as to any defendant, the jury may return a verdict on those counts on which it has agreed. . . . If the jury cannot agree on a verdict on one or more counts, the court may declare a mistrial on those counts. A hung jury does not imply either the defendant’s guilt or innocence.

Are jurors allowed to talk about the case after?

Generally yes. Once the case is over they are free to discuss (or not discuss) the case with whomever they want. This is subject to court orders to the contrary. For example, a Judge may order they not discuss particular trade secrets, sensitive documents or other confidential information that came up during the trial.

Are jurors allowed to talk about the case?

They also have the duty to inform the judge of any outside communication or improper conduct directed at the jury by any person. Jurors on a case should refrain from talking on any subject—even if it is not related to the matter being tried—with any lawyer, witness, or party in the case.

What rights does every juror have?

the court ruled jurors have the right to decide the law, but they don’t have to be told about it. It may sound hypocritical, but the Dougherty decision conforms to an 1895 Supreme Court decision that held the same thing.

Can jurors know others?

If you are selected as a sworn juror in a particular case, the judge will admonish you not to speak with any other juror or other person about any subjects connected with the case until the case is submitted for deliberation.