Justice, Democracy and the Jury
Author | : James Gobert |
Publisher | : Routledge |
Total Pages | : 252 |
Release | : 2019-06-04 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780429676093 |
ISBN-13 | : 0429676093 |
Rating | : 4/5 (93 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: First published in 1997, this volume recognises that on trial in every criminal case heard by a jury is not only the defendant but the democratic premise that ordinary citizens are capable of sitting in judgement on that defendant. The jury is a quintessential democratic institution, the lay cog in a criminal justice machine dominated by lawyers, judges and police. Today, however, the jury finds itself under attack – on the right, for perverse verdicts, and, on the left, for miscarriages of justice. Justice, Democracy and the Jury is an attempt to place the jury within a historical, political and philosophical framework, and to analyse the decision-making processes at work on a jury. The book also examines whether the model of the jury can be adapted to other decision-making contexts and whether "citizens juries" can be used to revive a flagging democracy and to empower the people on issues of public concern.