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What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Jury System

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The jury system has existed for almost 1000 years dating back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The first jurors acted as witnesses and gave an account of their knowledge and information about cases, however this has evolved and jurors are now the deciders of facts in both civil and criminal cases. In the UK, the jury consists of 12 members of the public, however in other countries this may differ. Statistics show that less than 1% of criminal cases are tried by juries, while 95% of criminal cases are dealt by the magistrates’ courts.
Serving on jury is compulsory for those who are qualified and meet the criteria for the jury service. Anyone that is between the ages of 18-70, registered to vote on the electoral register and who has been a resident of the UK for at least 5 years since 13 years of age are all qualified for jury service. The jury central summoning bureau is responsible for selecting names from the electoral register at random, once selected individuals are sent a jury summons using a computer system. The jury summons includes information such as what is expected of them and the date and time of the service.
Certain people may not meet the criteria as they may be ineligible or disqualified from jury service. Before the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003) was passed, certain people such as police officers, barristers and lawyers were all ineligible for jury service, however this act stated “every person shall be qualified to serve as a juror in the Crown
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