Kangan (imported) wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:17 am I had to serve on a jury once. The defendant had been wrongly accused of burglary. To make a long story short, because he was a drunk and a low life, the other jurors wanted to convict him. Finally reason prevailed and we let him off.

The bottom line here is, if the jurors don't like your life style, they will convict you.

I think that is true. You have to be careful not to judge on the wrong factors.

IEunuch, that was my point almost exactly, I wouldn't have any problem being judged by a jury of my peers as long as I had the chance to choose who my peers were, the problem is, we DON'T have that choice.

Blaise, I also think that the jury system is flawed but I'm not sure there is a better system. In some European countries they have judges only, no juries, usually three judges listen to the evidence and give their verdict. (Forget about Belgium, the entire system there is so corrupt that it's a European joke!)

But, if we use a jury, doesn't that mean that we effectively have a postcode (zipcode) lottery in judicial terms?

ie It depends where you get tried? If you get tried in SF then you're probably more likely to have access to a broad-spectrum jury than if you get tried in Memphis?

I know you have jury selection but, still, you can only select from what's available.

O.K.,

Go rent the Video, 12 Angry Men (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050083/) and watch it.

Sadly, things have not changed much in the U.S. justice system. However, the issues may be different, but the principles are all the same.

Look at the celebrity trials compared to the Mark Peterson trial.

2 tiers of justice, according to who you are...

That's one of my favourite films A-1, I've lost count of how many times I've seen it but it's always worth watching again.

I agree with you about the 2 tiers of justice sadly.

Another factor is your choice of attorney. Basically it hinges on money. If you can afford to hire a high-priced attorney, you will stand a better chance of a good result than if you used a public defender. This is a major factor in celebrity crime cases such as O.J. A good lawyer will know how to stack the jury in your favor.

As I see it, this is the great inequity in our justice system. The rich folks get away with murder (pun intended) and the poor guys gets life in prison for a crime that he didn't commit.

As for juries - if you live outside the societal norm the odds are that you will get convicted no matter how shaky the case against you. A bench trial before a judge is less risky, but even judges have prejudices.

It all still boils down to money or lack thereof.