Jury System Essay

The jury system has in the past been described as ‘the jewel in the crown” or “the cornerstone” of the British criminal justice system by Lord Justice Auld in his book ‘Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales’. Trial by jury is an ancient and democratic institution (Jury Under Attack). It will be seen later that it is a declining one, particularly DUE TO CONTEMPT OF COURT, A … Peter Carey, in his book, Media Law (2010) defines contempt of court refers to the courts ability to publish any person who interferes, in any way, with the proper functioning of the court system.

The jury system provides an opportunity for the layman to participate in the administration of the legal system, to reassure the rest of us that justice is being done in individual cases. The purpose of this essay is to explore the extent to which jury trials nowadays are under threat in the age of the internet and social media and whether they can cope in our modern technological era. To do this I will be dealing with a number of different issues throughout. Firstly to begin with, I will look at how the internet is impacting upon the English legal system as well as problems with juries and the internet. I will then investigate whether social media is criminogenic and lastly a brief look at reforms of the jury system.

The public generally refer the jury as the ‘cornerstone’ of the British criminal justice system, an important element in ensuring public acceptance. It has been defended by some as the bastion of democracy. However, throughout the years, the jury has come under much criticism and reform with some labelling it an old-fashioned system that allows miscarriages of justice to take place. During the past 30 years, technological change has occur...

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...rs that the courts are very serious about the issue of contempt of court. However, if we are to preserve trial by jury, the ‘jewel in the crown’ of British justice, the imprisonment of just one individual is simply not enough for the public to keep this confidence in the system. Ensuring that trial by jury can effectively operate in the new media age requires trust. If jurors cannot be trusted to rely solely on courtroom evidence during proceedings, then the need to monitor jurors' activity during a trial should be introduced. The threat that this growing practice poses to trust in our justice system and to the effectiveness of trial by jury remains fairly high. In the words of Lord Devlin in his book ‘Trial by Jury (1956): "Trial by jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than one wheel of the constitution: it is the lamp that shows that freedom lives”.