(Dis)Advantages of Jurors in the Criminal Justice System

The advantages of the use of the jury

A balance against State interference in criminal trials

According to Lord Devlin they provide a balance against the power of the Government. A jury can find defendant's not guilty even if they clearly are guilty and the judge tells them to convict the defendant.

A jury sometimes gives a perverse verdict

A verdict which could not be reasonable expected from the evidence given. A jury sometimes comes to a perverse verdict as a view of public opinion and the justice of bringing a prosecution, as in R v Kronlid, where three women were not charged for vandalising an aircraft when they clearly were guilty. 

Juries are racially balanced

Black and ethnic minority groups are not significantly under-represented among those summoned for jury service. Racially mixed juries' verdicts do not discriminate against defendants based on their ethnicity.

Public participation in the justice system

Juries are drawn from the…