Can our present jury system give true justice?
THE EDITOR: I recently visited our High Courts, as a member of public and some startling observations were made. I noticed that the lawyers and judges were making notes in writing of what was heard and said in the cases before them. However members of the jury did not do the same. How is it humanly possible for the jury to remember all the facts and evidence of a particular case, especially when they don’t have a clue about the laws? These legal brains of the court (lawyers and judges) spent years studying the law and they have to rely on their written notes to refresh their memory from time to time. What does the jury rely on? Taking into consideration a matter might last for eight to ten days sometimes more. Many a time, when a legal argument comes up, the jury is sent away and the legal brains look into law books written by ‘Arch Bold’ and others. Where does the jury look? They cannot even ask questions. They sit there like robots and are expected to remember everything, which is highly impossible. It is a known fact that some members of the jury find you guilty because of your appearance — "your looks," "you ugly," "you too short," "you look funny," etc. As a citizen of a supposedly free country, I am calling for an immediate halt of this practice and give the jury a more participating role. After everything is said and done, it is these people who have no knowledge of the law, who decide whether you are guilty or not. FRANK J JAISON St Augustine
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"Can our present jury system give true justice?"