Jury Trial Advantages

The jury trial system allows the verdict to be tried in front of a group of their peers rather than a single magistrate or judge. A large jury increases the chances of an adequate understanding of the verdict’s personal circumstances and characteristics. The jury also helps mitigate the chances of having one individual who may have certain personal biases and prejudices be the sole decider of the fate of the accused. Jurors are usually selected from different backgrounds and races which adds diverse thought and culture to the decision making process. Although jury trials have proven very effective there are disadvantages to the system. The members of the jury are chosen from the public and usually do not have any legal background which

The foreman led most discussions and every voting, but at times he failed to keep the group under control. When the members of the jury began arguing and attacking one another verbally the foreman was too timid in asserting his superiority and quelling the verbal abuse. The foreman orchestrates the discussion throughout the beginning of the session, but eventually submits to the architect who takes over as the new leader. The architect is a more effective leader than the foreman and although he wasn’t designated as the formal leader by the court he effectively propagates a fair trial and challenges the biased members of the jury to consider reasonable doubt. Overall, the foreman proved to be an effective leader with respect to managing the discussion and voting process, but an ineffective leader with regard to quelling arguments and connecting with the other jurors on a personal

At first the architect waited his turn and passively listened, but near the end he took over the role as the orchestrator of the discussion. The architect is self-controlled and driven to give the 19-year-old boy a fair trial. He accepts responsibility and steps in as a leader of the discussion by seeking the opinions of the more reserved jury members. With the more aggressive jurors, the architect challenges them without losing his temper and he stands up for the jury members who are verbally attacked. The architect connects on a personal level with the members of the jury by looking them intently in the eyes and through subtle touches on their arms which is affective in allowing him to not seem overly assertive. He rose to the challenge and recognized the needs of the different jurors which allowed him to effectively influence a large group of people with very different personalities and values. The architect fits the characteristics of an authentic leader because he knows who he is as a person and he is completely candid about his belief that all humans deserve a fair, unbiased