Disadvantages of the Present Jury System - Research Paper Example

Running head: Disadvantages of the Present Jury SystemThe present jury system has been found to have several negative aspects. These negative aspects have made the jury members not to be in position to reach at a fair and logical conclusion (Abramson, 2008). The disadvantages of the present jury system include: lack of seriousness by the jurors in executing their civil duties, corruption in the juries, jury trials take long time hence making the process to be very expensive, and some juror lack the knowledge to comprehend the information offered to them during the profiling of the jury and testimonies (Abramson, 2008).

The present jury system has also been found to have limitation in that; some defendants during trail go for jury so as to delay to the system (Simon, 1995). Delaying the whole process exert pressure on the Crown Prosecution Service so as to cut down the charge with respect to the defendant persuading guilty. It has also been found that, delaying the process because defendant choosing jury during trial makes the prosecution witness not to attend the trial. This weakens their follow ups if they do not appear during the trial, thus increasing chances of acquittal (Simon, 1995).

Under the present jury system, if the defendants are taken to remand, they enjoy extra time that the convicted prisoners are not given. For this reason, the time the defendants spend on remand is subtracted from any final sentence in prison. This has the implication that the trial will be put off as much as possible so as to maximize the amount of sentence while living under better conditions. This in the long last ends up wasting a lot time and money (Simon, 1995). The power that the present jury system has is also a source of several disadvantages that affect the system.

Since any power can be abused, makes it easy for juries coming to court to have individual prejudices and biasness thus not guaranteeing fair verdict (Abramson, 2008). Moreover, the fact that the present jury system is composed of laypersons; this brings in issue of effectiveness during the trial process. When jurors are faced with murder cases, there is likelihood that they are experiencing such a situation for the first time. There might also be no adequate frame of reference thus affecting the final decision (Abramson, 2008).

However, regardless of the several disadvantages, there are measures that can be adopted to improve the present jury system. The competent judges should help the jurors by offering accurately and clear instructions to them (Kairys, & Schuman, 2000). This will enable the jurors to interpret the law accurately. Also the jurors should be encouraged to help each other during the trial process. Concerning the issue of time wasting, and making the trail process to be expensive, can be corrected by making sure that the prosecution and defense are ready for their cases (Kairys, & Schuman, 2000).

To reduce the cost that is incurred during the trail process, there is need to reduce the number of appeals to one. Lastly, to avoid prejudice from jurors, there is need to consider gender during their recruitment, and avoid selection of jurors on racial basis. Improving the present jury system will eliminate the negative aspects of the system hence ensuring that justice is practiced (Kairys, & Schuman, 2000). References:Abramson, J. (2008). We, the jury: The jury system and the ideal of democracy.

Michigan: University of Michigan.Kairys, D. & Schuman, J. (2000). The Jury System: New methods for reducing prejudice: a manual for lawyers, legal workers, and social scientists. New York: Greenwood Publishing. Simon, R. (1995). The jury system in America: A critical overview. Mahwah, NJ: Praeger.