Psychological law assignment

JURY 1

JURY 4

Jury

Henry Mack

Grantham University

Jury

A jury is a sworn group of people that are brought together to give an impartial verdict on a case. This power is given to them by a court of law. The constitution guides a jury selection in a process known as “voir dire,” which is conducted by lawyers and judges. Attorneys ask potential questions to determine whether they are suitable to serve. The reason behind using a jury is the assumption that they are collectively wise and they aim to do food. But this is not always the case.

Jury consultants are not effective. The accused during a trial is supposed to be assessed by his/her peers who live in the real world. The problem with this is that law is supposed to be proportionate and reasonable and a jury is not impartial. According to psychologists, they are pervasively biased (Hu, 2014). A jury may sometimes use an individual’s appearance or background to make a decision. In short, they use an individual’s history to determine whether he is guilty or not. This is often because a group of individuals from different backgrounds will hardly come to a consensus without coercion as they have different life experiences. Another reason why a jury is not competent is that juror data is not also shared after a verdict has been issued. There is, therefore, no way of finding pit how they reached an agreement.

Both parties, the defendant and the plaintiff, should have access to jury consultants. The importance of having jury consultants is that they help parties mold juries by guiding them on what type of people to choose (Hu, 2014). They do so by researching on juror’s background and create favorable profiles. By doing so, both parties will select a group of jurors that will be in their favor. Jury consultants also help in witness preparation. Witness preparation is crucial in any case. Courts should ensure that both parties have access to juror consults, whether they are financially capable or not.

The use of Jurors is a common practice in the court system. As much as they help in providing verdicts in a system that is considered to be free and fair, the jury system has become corrupted over time. Jurors now make decisions according to an individual’s background instead of using the evidence provided. It is my opinion that jury trials have become ineffective over time.

References

Jane C. Hu. (2014, November 18). The Unscientific Science of Jury Selection. Retrieved from https://psmag.com/news/jody-arias-quackery-behind-scientific-jury-selection-94423