What is the role of the Jury?
The citizens enlisted to be part of the jury have a
distinguished role as a member of the court. Made up of 12 people, the jurors
must place a verdict on the accused and determine the punishment for the crime
committed. Many people are exempt from the jury role such as those who have a relationship
of some sort to the accused or the witnesses; this means that if a juror has
had or is in a relationship with one of the accused then they cannot be a part of
the jury by law. With this in mind it allows us to recognize how clear minded
each member of the jury must be when hearing the trial. For this to happen they
must be representatives of Lady Justice herself (lady in the picture above),
she symbolizes all the things that a juror must be when deciding a verdict and
each of her items represent a different thing as seen in the picture below.
So you think you could handle the jury? Think again. The jurors
must study the evidence and discuss the trial for what can be long periods of
time some juries may set time limits if necessary. The jury can only base their
verdict on the evidence presented in court and the directions of the judge. The
jury can refer back to the issue paper that is given to them with issue that
they must discuss about the offence that has been committed by the accused. With
the Court Garda (court official) outside jurors are not allowed out until a
verdict has been reached beyond any reasonable
doubt. If the jury has any reason to doubt that the accused may still be
guilty or innocent than the entire jury must reconsider. Once the jury has
reached a verdict then the foreman (representative from the jury) must present the
verdict in court to the judge. If the jury cannot come to an agreed verdict it
is called a ‘Hung Jury’.
Recount:
·
Decide the facts of the case only
·
Take directions relating to law from the trial
judge, whether or not they agree with him/her
·
Remain uninfluenced by any person. It is an
offence for any person who is not a member of the jury to attempt to influence
a juror in any way. If any person speaks to a juror about the case, the juror
should inform the court or a member of the Garda.
·
Keep statements made in the jury room
confidential. Jurors should not discuss the case with any person other than
members of the jury. It is contempt of court punishable by fine and/or
imprisonment to repeat any statements made in the jury room.
All in all: “It is not necessary that a jury be unanimous in
its verdict. In a criminal case, a verdict need not be unanimous where there
are not fewer than 11 jurors if 10 of them agree on a verdict after considering
the case for a reasonable time (not less than two hours). In a civil trial, a
verdict may be reached by a majority of 9 of the 12 members.” And that is the role
of the jury.