Juror Research Papers Samples For Students

12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men

Summary of the Film

The film 12 Angry Men, which was released in 1957 by Orion-Nova Production, takes a peek into a jury deliberation process of a murder case that involves an 18-year old boy who is charged with the stabbing of his father. The film begins with the end of the 6-day hearing of the case with the judge instructing an all-men jury just before they exit the court and enter into the deliberation room. The instructions of the judge include the following: the jury must make a unanimous vote of guilty, otherwise, a guilty verdict will not stand; a guilty ...

Trial vs. Plea Bargaining

Trial
The oldest and most well-known form of dispute resolution in criminal cases is the jury trial (Kadri, 2005). Certainly, the jury trial is the fundamental dispute resolution mechanism of the American adversarial legal system. In fact, the core principle of the criminal justice system holds that disputes are most effectively resolved when the parties in contention are made responsible for: (1) investigating and gathering their own evidence and (2) presenting their own arguments to a neutral and passive lay decision-maker who decides which party presented the most convincing argument (Kadri, 2005). Furthermore, the entire process is subject to ...

Orienthal James Simpson was a well-known celebrity in North America. He was a football player who upon retirement from the National Football League turned to acting. His ex -wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found brutally murdered outside Nicole’s residence on June 12, 1994. The police had a thorough scan of the crime scene in search of evidence. Crucial DNA evidence showing that Simpson was involved in the murder was found (Dershowitz, 1997).
OJ Simpson’s trial was named “the trial of the century” because it had become the most publicized case of all time in the ...

Responses 1

The ethnic representation in juries may have profound effects on the outcome. The continued underrepresenting of the people of color in juries undermines both the credibility and reliability of the case at hand, and the whole justice system (“Illegal Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection: A Continuing Legacy,” 2014). From a historical point of view, America has had many cases of racial discrimination within and outside the criminal justice system. As a result, if the juries do not have ethnic representation, the accused rights of fair trial may be compromised especially if the jury has no racial balance. Additionally, empathy plays a critical ...

Abramson, J. B. (1994). We, the Jury: The Jury System and the Ideal of Democracy: with a New Preface. Harvard University Press.
Jury came up in 1994 at a period of fast growing cynicism concerning jury justice. There was exclusive concern allover concerning racism, which appeared as a critical impartiality obstacle. There were always concerns on white men being prosecuted of racially abusing African-Americans. However, there was misrepresentation of Africans in the jury since there were no Africans serving in the jury. This brought in extensive disagreements between whites and African-Americans who always viewed themselves as segregated in proper operations of ...

Introduction

The Jury has the power to exercise nullification while conducting jury duties. This power is accorded as a matter of practice and in common law, and not necessarily under legislation. Jury nullification occurs when the fact finding is clear of the defendant’s guilt, but the jury relying on its own understanding of fairness and justice, decides to acquit. There has been on going debate as to whether the judges should inform the jury of their nullification ability or not. This paper explores the position that the jury should not be informed of their nullification powers (Bellin, 2010).

Background

The nullification ...

This paper sets out to examine the role of the jury in the United States Criminal Justice system and, more specifically, just how safe are the verdicts that the jury reaches in criminal trials. According to Judge Rebecca Knight (2007), a defendant’s right to a trial by jury was written into the 1776 Constitution and ratified in its later updates. Knight quoted the original Constitution as stating “the ancient mode of trial by jury is one of the best securities of the rights of the people, and ought to remain sacred and inviolable.” As a basic principle, it does seem logical ...

Photography in modern criminal investigation

Advancements in technology have transformed the lives of many people, organizations, and the criminal justice system. Modern criminal investigation is highly dependent on photography and chemistry. It is imperative that every judge knows the difference between an authentic and a doctored photograph. Although most digital photographs have been held inadmissible in court because of the high possibility of alteration, a single photograph can convince a juror that an individual is guilty. A prosecutor just needs to show the juries a single picture and the opposing lawyer will spend very much time trying to convince them otherwise but photographic evidence cannot be disputed or ...