If you are taking the unit 3 controlled assessment, these are the exact model answers I used which got me an A grade. These are well developed answers, without links to the brief (as that is relevant to your exam).
AC2.5 Discuss the use of lay people in criminal cases.
JURIES
Members of the jury are ordinary people of the public who have no legal knowledge;
these are the individuals who decide the outcome of a case. Jurors are randomly
selected from the electoral register. To be chosen jurors must be between the ages
of 18 and 75, been a resident in the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man for 5 years or
more. They must also have no recent criminal convictions. Jury duty is compulsory
but can be deferred in some circumstances such as a holiday, medical appointment,
etc. Legal personnel can also carry out jury service. The jury’s role is to listen to the
evidence presented in court and then decide on the guilt of the defendant. To come
to a decision on conviction they must be advised by the judge on legal matters.
There are many strengths to the use of the jury. For example, it is democratic. The
public's participation is an advantage of jury service. Because juries are chosen at
random, they reflect the diversity of the public. This is preferable to sitting judges,
who are typically drawn from narrow segments of society. Ordinary people from
everyday life can serve on juries to reflect the UK's democracy. This means that
individuals are tried in front of their peers rather than the privileged elite of
barristers and judges. This is the reason the public generally accepts and supports
juries. According to the Bar Council and Law Society, 85% of people trusted juries to
make the right decision because they were non-professionals and are ought to be
able to make decisions based solely on the facts presented in court.
There is also Jury Equity. There is twelve jurors, so the defendant's fate is not
decided by a single person. Jurors are also perceived as more impartial than
members of the legal profession. This is since they have no ties to the trial and are
unlikely to be 'case hardened,' as most people only serve on a jury once in their lives.
The secrecy of the jurors' room, where they deliberate the case, is maintained, which
means that jury members are not subject to outside pressures and allows for the
discussion of contentious verdicts without fear of repercussions.
In the case of R v Owen, where the defendant's son was killed by a careless driver
who received a 12-month prison sentence, jury equity can be demonstrated. Owen's
son was knocked off his bicycle by a 30-ton truck that was not insured and was not
roadworthy. Furthermore, the driver had never passed a driving test and was legally
blind in one eye. Owen thought the sentence was insufficient and decided to seek his
own justice for his son's death. As a result, he used a sawn-off shotgun to shoot the
driver in the back and arm. Owen was clearly guilty of attempted murder because he
deliberately shot the man. However, the jury recognised the reason for his actions
and decided to acquit him. Later, some jury members congratulated him. This was
the jury's decision, and there was nothing that could be done about it. As a result, it
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