Past Exam Questions (Jury)

Explain the role of juries in criminal cases.

• Listen to facts.
  
• Come to an verdict. (guilty or not guilty)
• Aim to reach an unanimous verdict.

Discuss the jury selection process.

• central summoning buraeu.
  
• Qualifications.
• Advantages and Weaknesses.
• Challenges - stand by, for cause, for array.
• Jury vetting
• Quotes - Darbyshire, Devlin.
• Reforms and proposals.
• Jury Act 1974.
• Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Explain the different types of jury trials available in England and Wales.

• Criminal
  • 12 jurors.
  • Either way and Indictable cases.
  • 30,000 cases a year (1% of criminal cases)
  • the role the jury plays.

• Coroners
  • 7 too 11 members.
  • 4 types of complusory cases - Death in prison, death in industrial accidents, death in police custody or resulting from an injury from the police and deaths that may affect public health and safety.

• Civil
  
  • 8 jurors in county court
  • 12 jurors in high court
  • Supreme Court Act 1981
  • Right to jury in 4 cases - libel and slander, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment and fraud.
    

Evaluate the reliability of jury trial.

• lead by heart not head (R v Owen)
• Preverse verdicts (R v Young)
• Reforms and proposals.
• Advantages and disadvantages.
• Jury secrecy.
• Contempt Of Court Act 1981.
• Jury nobbling.

Are Juries representative of the general public?

• Lord Devlin
• Darbyshire
• Jury challenges and vetting.
• R v Ford (multi-race jury)
• Reforms and proposals
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Jury selection process.