A jury trial or trial by jury is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or

makes findings of fact, which then direct the actions of a judge. It is distinguished from a
bench trial, in which a judge or panel of judges make all decisions.
The jury examine the pieces of evidence presented by the defendant and weighs them to
determine whether it satisfies the charged criminal or civil offenses beyond a reasonable doubt
or preponderance of the evidence. It is then the jury's duty to gather together, discuss the pieces
evidence, and, once the necessary consensus is reached, render a verdict of guilty or not guilty in
a given case.
During the course of the case, the jury is instructed to not discuss the case with anyone - even
among themselves. And they are not allowed to seek information on their own. In some cases
where there may be a serious threat of jury tampering, the jury may be sequestered for the course
of the trial.
Jury selection happens in two stages. The first stage is, random selection. The state or federal
district will randomly pull names off of lists that the state keeps in the regular course of business.
These lists could include a list of registered voters, a list of people who hold driver's licenses, or
a list of people receiving unemployment benefits. All the name pulled from the list will received
a notive informing the him/her also the date he/she have to go to the court room. The The rules
can vary by state, but unless you have some pressing reason to miss the first day of jury service,
you generally have to go.
The second stage is the Jury Selection and Voir Dire. Voir Dire is the process by which the court
and the attorneys narrow down the pool of juries to the 12 people that will decide the case. The
process for voir dire varies from state to state, and even from judge to judge. Sometimes, if the
juror pool is too large, the judge will randomly pick some people and excuse them from duty.
Lay jurors are often legally and logically unprepared for trial. They dont have much knowledge
of the law. that jurors frequently misunderstand the law. To the extent this occurs, the judgments
rendered by juries may be erroneous. Their is a possibility that an inocent can be convicted and
the offenders are aquitted.
Disadvantages

On acquittal there can be no retrial (subject to recent reforms but only for serious crimes).
Jury nobbling believed to be frequent resulting in wrongful acquittals.
No enquiry allowed into jury deliberations after verdict, even if juror alleges racial or any
other type of bias or wrongdoing by the jury.
Jury vetting is against the principle of random selection.
Expense of jury trial.
Defendants manipulate the system.
Perverse verdicts undermine the principle of justice, and the rule of law. (and are actually
very rare)
Defying the will of the democratically elected legislature.

Juries return the wrong verdict - series of miscarriages of justice undermine confidence.
Jurors may be tempted to reach a quick verdict in order to get it over with and go home.
Law on jury secrecy could allow the innocent to remain convicted rather than make
reasonable enquiries into how verdict was obtained. Selection of juries to obtain racial
mix not allowed.
Ethnic minorities often do not register to vote.
Ethnic minorities do not have the language skills to be effective jurors.
Can be biased against one party or the other.
Local prejudice can be a problem in particularly emotive casesLitchfield moved to Exeter
for this reason.
Are mislead by barristers' techniques as to strength of evidence.
Judge has to explain legal matters.
Majority verdicts can convict when there is doubt which should have been given to the
defendant.
Easily influenced by impressive barristers, or the judge.
Juries not required to give reasons for verdicts.
Insufficient intellect. Cannot follow complicated tax or fraud cases.Note: can be judgeonly trial in some cases.
Inconsistencies throughout the country.
Young jurors no life experience.
Jury members can have a string of convictions not serious enough to disqualify.
Also, disqualified jurors still find their way into the jury box.
Role of the jury is merely symbolic of public involvement.
Can become bored during the trial.
Inconvenience and financial loss to jurors.
Slow. Some trials e.g. fraud can take many weeks or months.
Lack of research defies assessment.
Horrific cases can seriously affect jurors who have to sit through harrowing evidence.
The existence of juries distract from real problems in the criminal justice system people
believe their existence means the CJ system is functioning well.
Many serious cases do not provide for jury trial, for example drink driving.
There is no choice but jury trial in indictable offences, summary trial cannot be elected.
Juries do not understand the burden of proof.