It's True. We are Doomed.

[wagegoth]

I've been spending the last few days watching DVDs at work. Not fun ones, DVDs of mock juries to help us in trial preparation. I compare what's on the DVD with what's in the transcripts from the sessions for accuracy.

After only the first half-hour, I told the trial consultant, "There's a whole lot of stupid there." A little later, "If I ever go on trial, I want a bench trial." About an hour later, "Juries are scary."

Between that and my sociology final, I think I'm the most depressed I've been in years.

[Broomjockey]

A little later, "If I ever go on trial, I want a bench trial."

I've heard it said, "innocent people want a bench trial. Guilty people want a jury." Makes sense, sorta. If it's merely a matter of law, then you want the people who KNOW law deciding it. If it's a matter of trying to justify it, or futz your way out, then you want someone you can confuse.

[AccountingDrone]

I had jury duty about 3 weeks ago and made myself fairly unpopular ...

I *don't* care if you don't believe that someone should be let go free for punching someone out because they were being teased. We had them on camera punching the other woman out, with audio from the very start [punchee was teasing puncher about her hair, her trailer trash clothing, her 2 kids probably having differnt daddies if she even knew who the daddies were ...] The law is very clear, you do *not* punch someone out. That is battery. She was plainly guilty of battery. She may have had extenuating circumstances that the judge may take into account when sentencing, but she was guilty. They kept trying to say not guilty because she was provoked ... OY!

It took me 2 hours of discussion to get the rest of the jurors to understand that they had to confirm her guilt. I mean, sweet jebus, she was caught on tape punching the other woman out. I hate people who watch legal shows on tv and don't understand their own legal system. The judge gives instructions on how to do it when you start ...

The both love and hate paralegals doing jury duty ... I always found it a blast =)

[calulu]

The one jury I was on they also had a videotape of the defendant committing the crime. She tried to explain it by saying she was confused by her time of the month starting suddenly as her reason for stealing 300 bucks worth of meat and then beating down the grocery store manager in the parking lot.

We went into the jury room, looked at each other and the jury foreman asked, "Is there anyone here that actually thinks this woman isn't guilty of doing all the crap we saw on the video tape? Good. Let's sit here for five minutes and enjoy a refreshing snack before we go out and announce the guilty verdict."

The guilt or innocent part wasn't the problem. The difficulties arose when we were given sentencing guidelines by the judge and the prosecutor asked for a certain amount of time and we were given this woman's lengthy conviction record she's never served a day for. Everyone was content to give the defendant what the DA requested for her years of stabbing men, stealing, bouncing checks, cheating government services, etc. etc. you name it. But we had one lone holdout juror that didn't want to see her do a day because he said she was a victim of her culture..(insert worlds tiniest violin here) We argued for 4 hours before all agreeing to a slap on the wrist 18 months in local jail for her.

Jury trials suck.

I can well understand why watching trials might bum you out...

[fireheart]

Let's all sing the doom song together...

"Doom doom doomy doom doom doomy doom doom."

[AccountingDrone]

The one jury I was on they also had a videotape of the defendant committing the crime. She tried to explain it by saying she was confused by her time of the month starting suddenly as her reason for stealing 300 bucks worth of meat and then beating down the grocery store manager in the parking lot.

We went into the jury room, looked at each other and the jury foreman asked, "Is there anyone here that actually thinks this woman isn't guilty of doing all the crap we saw on the video tape? Good. Let's sit here for five minutes and enjoy a refreshing snack before we go out and announce the guilty verdict."

The guilt or innocent part wasn't the problem. The difficulties arose when we were given sentencing guidelines by the judge and the prosecutor asked for a certain amount of time and we were given this woman's lengthy conviction record she's never served a day for. Everyone was content to give the defendant what the DA requested for her years of stabbing men, stealing, bouncing checks, cheating government services, etc. etc. you name it. But we had one lone holdout juror that didn't want to see her do a day because he said she was a victim of her culture..(insert worlds tiniest violin here) We argued for 4 hours before all agreeing to a slap on the wrist 18 months in local jail for her.

Jury trials suck.

I can well understand why watching trials might bum you out...

I actually like watching trials, it is just some of the people on the jury are feckless idiots It shouldn't have been a question of being a victim of her culture, that single holdout just didnt understand exactly what the judge wanted in the way of sentancing guidelines.

I think everybody needs to get a basic law course in high school ... just like they need to give people a basic first aid and basic finance [money management, shopping efficiently and so forth] and not get their legal information from tv shows...