Juror College Essays Samples For Students

In the 1957 film 12 Angry Men, a group of jurors is surprised to discover that one juror does not immediately wish to convict a young man accused of murdering his father. The lone dissenting juror pleads and argues with the other jurors over the course of their deliberations, using a variety of persuasive techniques to instill some sense of doubt about the guilt of the accused. As other jurors began to have their own doubts, they join in and provide both rational and emotional appeals to persuade the remaining jurors to change their minds. The interactions between the jurors reveal that ...

The play, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, is an attention-grabbing play that exhibits the American judicial system in an organized way. The play is about a teenager who is being trialed for committing the murder of his own father, and the jury, consisting of 12 men, is seated in a room to discuss and decide his fate. Moreover, the jury comes to a standstill when juror number 8 declines to choose ‘guilty’ for the convict unlike the others. However justice served in the end when he is able to convince the other jurors and is able to prove that the boy ...

Introduction

Social injustices such as prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, and aggression manifest themselves in almost all communities in the world. The injustices are often very complicated in places inhabited by multiethnic and multiracial communities. Although, racial prejudice and discrimination has been largely minimized, there still exist some social injustices based on other factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, nationality among other divisive lines. Many times these incidents can be explained using social psychology theories. Regina Rose’s 1957 film Twelve Angry Men perfectly captures issues about prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, and aggression through the eyes of a jury, in a homicide trial. The theme ...

The juror’s professions and backgrounds influenced their decisions to great extent. One of the jurors (number three) is a businessman who is at odds from his own son. Since it is a murder trial of a teenager, juror number three is quite confident that the boy is guilty. His relationship to his son seems to have an influence on his attitude to this case and believes that all teenagers from ghetto neighborhoods are criminals. His relationship to his son makes him to approach the case without objectivity. Juror number seven is a salesman that is interested in watching baseball and wants the ...

12 Angry Men is a film about a jury consisted of twelve men all of whom have their own system of beliefs which is hard to change. They are members of the community and are supposed to reach a verdict because they are jurymen. The legal system has flaws which is why the jurors need to decide about the guilt of the defendant. The defendant is an eighteen-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed and killed his father although there is reasonable doubt that he did not commit this crime. The juror Number Three is the man who looks for answers ...

The play Twelve Angry Men is a prime example of communication in a group. Each of the characters of this twelve member jury represents a specific functional role within the group. These are twelve strangers, brought together for a week long murder trial. The entire play takes place in the deliberation room on a hot afternoon. Tempers are short as is patience for many of the jurors. This creates an agitation in the communication of the group as they deliberate the fate of the defendant.

Foreman, acts as the “procedure developer” and “evaluator” of the jury according to our text.

He is fair and takes the responsibility of deciding guilt seriously. He handles the task of taking the votes ...

Introduction

Human behavior can sometimes be understood from varied perspectives. 12 Angry Men and The Invisible War are films that provide a broad converse over which a number of social issues can be understood. Social life in every society comes with its own challenges with respect to the manner in which norms and regulations are established. Both of the movies have a basis from different set ups; hence, their understanding can only be understood from the context where they are set up. Although the films are drawn from different set ups, aspects of human behavior analysis can still be ensured.
The film, ...

“The Play has been used to teach students about group behavior and the role of individual influence in group settings. What does the play have to offer as a representation of group behavior and the influence that individuals can have in group settings? Connect this idea to the Play and other life scenarios.”

The Play as a representation of Group behavior

Groups or teams are usually characterized by individuals with different characteristics, behavior and cultural backgrounds. The existence of these characteristics as well as behaviors means that people tend to think differently, a scenario that has a significant impact on group decision-making process. In the play, “Twelve ...

Introduction

Rhetoric in its wider sense, deals with persuasion and the various modes of persuasion which is kind of factual demonstration. Rhetoric is the identification of the means and ends of achieving effective persuasion, be it at now or in the future. Human condition makes its mind to perceive demonstrations as more convincing and persuasive. Therefore, speech helps with delivery of information by employing words, phrases and rhetoric questions.
The conceptual arguments used in speech, determine the general logical dialect in demonstration thereby helping to bring out persuasion. It is more important that any speaker should know that whether ...

Introduction

Marder (2005) reports that jury trials are commonly used in the criminal trials in the common law legal system. The United States is famous for its consistence use of juries over bench judges in criminal legal tussles. The use of juries has extended to include civil cases in the United States and Canada. The jury process in the United States tends to be high profile discussions. However, legal scholars admit that the public exaggerate how often juries are used. Marder (2005) adds that, in the United States, there about 150, 000 thousand cases every year in the state Courts. ...

Introduction

This paper discusses the roles of specific players within the criminal justice system, namely judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys including how these roles sometimes intermingle with reference to given fact patterns.

The Role of the Prosecutor

Should Joe Justice want to get the deal done with Jim Lawbreaker, some of the options available for him including entering into a plea agreement or arrangement and studying the arresting or investigating police report to ascertain details of the crime and its magnitude.
Yes, Joe Justice has enough evidence to take against Stick Martin to grand jury. According to Gaines and Miller (2012), a prosecutor has a ...

Main steps to the voir dire process

The voir dire process takes place in different phases with each phase aimed at attaining a given aim. The first phase of this process entails the soliciting of information aimed at unravelling information in the juror’s mind-set. In this phases, there are different skills that are needed to enhance the provision of information by the juror such as the use of open-ended questions and being attentive. The second step is initiating ample relationships with the juror. This step is essential because it prompts the juror’s to offer the requisite and candid information needed from them (Broome, 2012). Creating ...

Introduction

In the American legal system, the rights afforded to a defendant who has been accused of a crime are fundamental and of paramount constitutional concern. The Framers were cognizant of the potential for government abuse and ensured that a criminal defendant’s rights were protected. The Sixth Amendment provides that in criminal proceedings, “the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury” (U.S. Const. amend. VI). Thus, the Sixth Amendment safeguards the criminal defendant’s right to a speedy trial and guarantees that defendant is entitled to a trial by a jury ...

I. Introduction
Under the Sixth Amendment, one of the fundamental rights that a person accused of a crime holds is the right to a “public trial by an impartial jury of the state and district” where the crime was committed. Subsequent Supreme Court jurisprudence has interpreted the Sixth Amendment’s impartial jury provision to mean a jury composed of unbiased individuals in regards to how the perceive the defendant. While an important of consideration as to whether a juror is biased has focused on issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin. An equally important consideration is whether a ...

A Case Law Brief

391 U.S. 510 (1968)
I. Facts
On April 29, 1959, a police patrol car that has stopped for a red light was approached by a woman. The woman complained to the officers that the petitioner, Witherspoon, had assaulted her outside of a nearby tavern. The woman also informed the officers that Witherspoon was armed. Witherspoon, who had observed the woman talking to the police, ran into an adjacent parking lot and hid in a parked truck. Following up on the woman’s complaint, the police pursued Witherspoon into the parking lot. When one of the officers happened unto Witherspoon hiding in a truck, ...

The right against self incrimination is an international human right that is guaranteed to an accused. This right is always embodied in the criminal procedure that is adopted by various nations when prosecuting criminal cases. The right against self incrimination includes the right of an accused not to be compelled to testify against himself or to confess his guilt to a crime of which he is being accused of. Every juror must, as compliance to the procedural due process, respect this right accorded to an accused as a basic human right enshrined in the international bill of rights. Thus, a juror cannot ...

Twelve Angry Men is a 1957 drama in which twelve jurors decide the faith of a boy who is on trial in court for alleged murder of his own father. The film presents a picture of the decision-making process based on the concept of reasonable doubt, which, when present, does not allow the jury to proclaim the defendant guilty. Jury members have no names and go by numbers, and the audience is presented with their reasoning and thought process through their monologues and dialogues. Although this is quite an explicit way to convey what a character’s position is, ...

As depicted in the trial of O.J Simpson, there is a number of political, racial, social and psychological personality or demographic factors that may influence the selection, composition and possible elimination of members of a jury. Normally, trial judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors and plaintiff’s lawyer will want to ensure that jurors are both impartial and fair and that there are minimal chances of conflicts of interest, bias and the possibility of a jury constitution unfairly influencing or shaping the outcome of a case. In this week’s discussion, I will analyze the factors that might include or eliminate ...

Type of False Confession (1)

With regards to the false confession applied in this particular case, it is reasonable to conclude on the fact that voluntary false and internalized confessions have been perpetrated by the alleged delinquent. The aforementioned conclusion bases on the analysis of the fact, with a particular focal point placed on the internal decision of the questioned person. The employees of the penitentiary institution did not exercise excessive physical or mental pressure over him. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the decision to deliver false confession was dictated by the internal motives on the first two suspects (Douglas Firemnon and the ...

The play Twelve Angry Men was first presented as a television broadcast in 1954 on CBS. Despite its obvious adaptability to the stage, and several presentations on the London stage, it took half a century before the play actually appeared in Broadway. The play itself revolves around a jury that has to deliberate on the guilt or innocence of a teen accused of stabbing and killing his father. However, the play is less about the “mystery,” which is never really resolved, than it is about the struggle that goes on the jury room between these twelve men. In many ways, the actions and ...

The Verdict

As a juror on this case, there is an abundance of information, testimony and evidence to take into account. I would like to begin this case analysis by first stating my verdict and then describing why. Based on the Prosecution’s testimony, I find the Defendant/suspect of the bank robbery of Small Town Bank guilty beyond reasonable doubt. My decision was formed based on the circumstances of the crime and pursuit, forensic findings, and what evidence was found useful when reaching the guilty verdict.

Circumstances of the Crime

I do believe that the suspect is the bank robber due to numerous and varying circumstances. ...

R. v. Williams

R. v. Williams
In the case of R v Williams, the accused was an aboriginal who pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge filed against him and elected a trial by judge and jury. During the initial trial, the trial judge authorized the asking of questions to the potential jurors. However, the Crown filed for a mistrial on the ground of procedural errors and giving too much publicity and exposure on the jury selection process. At the second trial, the judge who heard the motion of the accused issued an unfavourable decision against him to challenge the jurors ...

Introduction

The research that was conducted was aimed at checking the effect of defendant facial expression on mock juror decision-making especially the power of remorse. Researchers had an interest in the facial expression of the defendant and this led them to experimentally manipulate the exhibit of remorse and anger in the defendant pictures so that they could assess the weight that could lead to decision making b y the mock jurors. The research discovered that, the defendants who were remorseful had more lenient verdicts when they were compared to those of an angry defendant. (Christian, 2001).

There was a major relationship between ...

In this July 2013 trial, George Zimmerman stood accused of the second-degree murder of teenager Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman had shot Martin in February 2012 after a confrontation between the two in Sanford, Florida. From the beginning, Zimmerman defense team did not deny that he had shot Martin but rather that he shot Martin in self-defense (Linder, 2014).
Claiming self-defense is one of the fundamental principles of exculpation in criminal law. The theory underlying exculpation holds that in some situations although a person has otherwise acted criminally, their actions are justified and therefore should not be subject to punishment. In ...

The film Runaway Jury presented ethical dilemmas among the main characters Dustin Hoffman (Wendall Rohr), Gene Hackman (Rankin Fitch) and John Cusack (Nick Easter). In the movie Celeste Wood sought the help of Wendall Rohr, a lawyer to represent her and file a case against Vicksburg Firearms, a gun manufacturing company, for the death of her husband Jacob Wood, who was one of the victims in the massacre that took place in a brokerage office. Gun manufacturer and owner Garland Jankle, played by Stanley Anderson hired the services of a brilliant jury consultant Rankin Fitch to help him win ...

My Responsibility To America Essay

United States is a democratic country which, as Abraham Lincoln puts, has "government of the people, by the people, for the people". To simplify, in a democratic nation, it is the citizens who form and run the government and the government takes actions listening to the voice of the citizens. A citizen is defined as an official member of a country. In USA, anyone born in the country gets citizenship by birth. Immigrants also become citizens of USA through naturalization. But one doesn't become a true American and citizen of a country just by acquiring citizenship. In order to be a true citizen of one's ...

Sections on constructive/reconstructive processing and the eyewitness testimony have empowered me with various concepts. From the ideas spelt by the reconstructive memory theory, I have developed a clear understanding of the reliability of the eyewitness testimony in arriving at decisions. I have learnt that recall is essentially dependent on personal interpretation that is defined by our learnt or cultural aspects and values and the way we interpret situation. Particularly, the theory argues that people archive information on the way that appear logical to them and in the future, they make deductions by making reference to the stored information (Nicholas 23). ...

US vs. Jeremy Smith: My observations

The case of US vs. Jeremy Smith involved the legal framework that is enforced to control drugs and narcotics in the US. The defendant, Jeremy Smith had been arrested by the police in the D.C after suspicion of being in possession of drugs and weapons. The police raided the house of the defendant and found samples of cocaine, marijuana and some guns. According to the US laws, Jeremy was arraigned in court for a trial on 11 th April 2013. The case was set to start at 9.30.
As the norm, the judge had to explain to the jurors ...

Jury Trial Analysis

A jury trial is a legal proceeding whereby a case is presented to a jury to make decisions and findings of fact and reach a verdict which is later applied by a judge. A jury is a group of people sworn in to hear, judge, and give a verdict on a given case. Jury trials are regularly used in serious criminal cases. The work of a jury is to scrutinize the evidence provided in the courtroom and agree on whether beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime in question. Jury trials are mainly used in serious criminal cases. Their work is to find the facts on ...

Yes, defendants should be allowed to hire jury consultants. Defendants deserve the best representation available to them. The best representation includes anything that might help the defendant to defend themselves. This includes witnesses, expert testimony, physical evidence, records regarding the incident, a good attorney, and a jury consultant. In other words, defendants should have access to the same trial techniques as the plaintiffs.

If a defendant can afford it, they have every right to hire a jury consultant. Innocent defendants should take every possible step they can to help them win their case. Jury consultants can help attorneys dig deeper into the personal ...