AS Law Learning Page Law Home Page
Juries
This topic seems to engage the majority of students as it focuses on a role in the legal system that anyone of them may one be asked to fulfil; to be a jury member. They will examine the rules for being summoned and the penalties for refusing. They will also be expected to consider whether in fact this method of deciding the guilt or innocence of a defendant is infact the correct one; especially considering the fact that trial by jury is only used in very serious matters and the jury members are most likley to have little or no legal qualifications.
A breakdown of the topic:
a) History of the jury system
b) Modern-day use of the jury
c) Jury qualifications
d) Selecting a jury
e) The jury's role in criminal cases
f) Advantages of jury trial
g) Disadvantages of jury trial
h) Special problems of using juries in civil cases
i) Alternatives to jury trial
Assessment:
You will be assessed on this topic in line with OCR standards. The assessment will be a past paper question. This question will test your knowledge and application of that knowledge to AS Level exam standard. Click here to access the question.
Useful Links:
'A guide to being a juror' - CJS Online
'Trial by Jury' by Richard Dawkins, The Observer (1997)