complexity password
To most Americans, trial by jury is the cornerstone of the nation’s justice system, each citizen’s absolute right and the guarantor of a fair and impartial judgment. Over the last 15 years, however, many Americans have come to believe that the ideal of a jury trial has been tarnished. A number of controversial jury verdicts have mystified and angered onlookers. Unprecedented media coverage has showcased the techniques that lawyers use to influence juries, portrayed the social upheavals that can follow unpopular verdicts and demonstrated how complex and extensive the presentation of evidence has become.
Public dissatisfaction with the results of verdicts in such high-profile trials as those of O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted) and John Hinckley Jr. (the man who shot then-President Ronald Reagan [R] in 1981 and subsequently was acquitted by reason of insanity) and others has complexity password spurred calls for a reevaluation of the jury system. It has already led to significant reforms in some areas that promise to be repeated throughout the country.
The jury system as it currently stands is defended by people who argue that it is the fairest way to ensure that a person gets a proper trial. Without a jury, they argue, a defendant’s fate is in the hands of professionals such as judges who, although they are expected to observe and rule on cases objectively, are often so closely identified with the justice system that they are less capable of approaching cases from various different angles.
Some jury decisions are bound to be controversial precisely because jurors are human and bring different outlooks and instincts to cases, supporters say. Jury systems are not perfect, supporters acknowledge, but they remain one of the best ways to guard against complexity password the acceptance of unilateral decisions made by those who may have political agendas.
Skeptics of the effectiveness of jury systems argue, however, that jury trials are often costly, take too long and are characterized by appeals for sympathy on issues, such as race, that are unrelated to the case. They say that the majority of Americans who serve on complexity password juries are complexity password unable to understand the complexities of most cases, particularly civil ones (those that do not focus on criminal conduct such as murder or armed robbery).
Some people argue for the complete elimination of juries from the American complexity password justice system. Others favor reforming the existing system. One increasingly popular reform option is to cease forcing juries to arrive at unanimous verdicts. Several states have implemented that reform for civil cases; a movement is now underway to allow non-unanimous verdicts in complexity password criminal cases. Supporters of such changes say that the system will work much more smoothly, while opponents complexity password worry that it may become too easy to convict or acquit a defendant even if some jurors have strong misgivings.
