unit 5 courts responses

1. Case characteristics have a relatively high affect on juror decision making because of the affect it has on them emotionally. Jurors tend to react more to the characteristics of the defendent or victim especially when the charges are of a violent nature. It is believed that jurors are persuaded or moved by evidence that validates use of force or other violence such as assault, rape, or some type of altercation such as these. Juror characteristics play a similar role in the decision making. Through out the process of juror selection both the prosecutor and defense attorney asks questions in order to select perfect candidates for the case. Juror characteristics such as background, ethnicity, religion can all contribute to their decision making. Juror characteristics are somewhat matched with the case characteristics. Attorneys do this in the attempt to have juror inherently on their 'side'. Both juror and case characteristic can make or break the defendant in a case. As a juror, I would find both of the ones I mentioned preiviously, the most influential. I believe that case and juror characteristics are the most important because as humans it is hard to remove your emotions when faced with heinous crimes. Case characteristics, evidence provided, motives and particular details that are provided during a trial can be emotionally pulling and cause it to be hard to be unbiased. This also reflects juror characteristics, each person has their own morals, beliefs and experiences that cause them to see things in a way that another may not and this can make the decision making process very hard. 

2. I think given the question is comparing which factors would affect juror decision making the most I would choose juror characteristics because a jury should not be composed of people who want to express their own personal beliefs or their past experiences that weigh in on the outcome fo the trial. I think if a person does not have the right evidence or there is a lack of it they may fall back on their gut instinct or what belief they previously held about a certain crime or the defendant themselves. I think jurors are persuaded by facts outside of the case which in turn effect the outcome of it. I also think procedural characteristics play role as well. This involves the size of the jury, their involvement during the trial to jury instructions and jury voting requirements. If a juror is not aware of constant happenings within the trial they would in turn throw off the trial because of their lack of involvement and no knowledge of the facts presnted in the trial. These two compare because if a person just puts in their own beliefs and does not pay attention to the facts presented this in turn can lead to the wrong verdict being handed down. If I was a juror I would think that juror characteristics would be the most influential because these are the people who must reach a verdict of guilty or not guilty. So they must select people who are attentive, and take good notes during the trial, they must ask good questions if they do not understand a part, and they must listen to all of the evidence prior to forming any conclusions about the case presented. If a person has relevant life experiences maybe they should not be on the jury because they will use those experiences and already have an opinion on the case when there is no evidence presented yet.

3. The characteristic of a case is an influential factor that affects the jury decision-making process. Factors such as stereotypes that jury members form about the defendant can affect their decision-making during a trial. According to research, factors such as age, race, clothes, hairstyles, and attractiveness are relevant to whether a jury later finds someone guilty or not. Depending on the severity of violence in the case especially if it is a crime such as rape which is very personal can be a very effective influential factor for a juror when he or she is convicting a defendant. Any physical assault that is shown to be violent by evidence such as pictures can also influence a juror’s decision has a big impact on their emotions. Jurors are selected depending on how qualified they are and if they can set their biases and feelings aside no matter what their beliefs or political views are, so it does not negatively impact a criminal case. The decision-making process of a juror can be influenced by where they grew up and came from which can enable them to make a connection with the defendant and make them feel more sympathetic towards the defendant. Lawyers do try to make an emotional connection between the defendant and the jury because it influences the jury’s emotions, and it helps the lawyer have a better chance of winning a case. If I was a juror, I would rank the characteristics of a case as the most influential characteristic. The more violent the crime is and the more gruesome the description and details of what occurred during a crime can be very emotional for the jury and greatly impact their decisions. If the juror can relate to the crime that was committed because he or she also experienced, it or they know someone that was a victim of the same crime then they can be emotionally triggered and have their decision already made up in their mind.

4. Case characteristics in relation to jury decision-making involve the analysis of the case and evidence at hand. To come up with a verdict, it scrutinizes the evidence offered to the jury, be it cross-examination, videos, audios, or any other form of evidence (Thomas, 2016).  On the other hand, deliberation characteristics refer to what happens when the jury decides to trust their instincts and beliefs when the evidence is not satisfying or has a lot of loopholes. Jury deliberation is based on mock trials; therefore, how real juries arrive at verdicts remains unknown. Notably, the two characteristics are highly dependent on the evidence provided because deliberation characteristic is mainly affected when the jury is not satisfied with the evidence presented or cannot reach a verdict following a vague exhibit (Siegel et al., 2017).If I were a juror, I would rank case characteristics as the most important. This is because it provides the best opportunity to the juror, the defendant, and the plaintiff to bring to light every piece of evidence related to the case, therefore, offering a better and smooth ground for a fair trial. The deliberation characteristics can be biased since it heavily relies on the instincts of the juror, which can be easily corrupted.  

5. There are four major factors towards juror selection, but two in particular I believe to be important and influential in a case. I decided that juror characteristics and case characteristics are important when dealing with a case. Juror characteristics is important for many reasons. Being sure that everyone selected has been interviewed and carefully analyzed. Depending on the severity of the case you have to make sure to ask certain questions during their interview process to ensure that they are willing to set aside personal feelings and not make a decision that may seem bias. Unfortunately as people its hard to separate certain feelings, and can be extremely hard for the average person to do so. Asking scenario questions can tell a lot about a person and what they been through, which can determine if they are a good fit or not. Also, everyone has their own perception and beliefs on situations, which can have a impact on the verdict. Case characteristics on the other hand focus on the events that has taken place and the amount evidence provided. Knowing details on a case can have an emotional and mental impact, not only to those working on the case, but the jurors. Also, if there is a lack of evidence it can make it harder for the jury to understand the case and what took place which can cause the jury to have a harder time making a decision. If I were a juror, I would consider the juror characteristics more influential to a case. The decision lays in the hands of the jury to determine a guilty or non-guilty verdict. They also bare the pressure of making sure that they make the right decision when deciding. Having a jury that pays attention to detail is important to ensure that they are listening and carefully analyzing the present evidence. Lastly, making sure that the jury selected are logical thinkers so that way a rushed decision isn’t made and the decision is carefully thought out.