Abstract
Juries represent an essential element of criminal justice system. Professional juries are expected to sharpen the power of trial presentation. To implement professional juries, the criminal justice system will need to overcome several obstacles. Professional juries will bring objectivity and reason into criminal justice proceedings.
Professional Juries
Criminal justice faces numerous legal inconsistencies. Besides ethics and morality, trial representations frequently require legal professionalism of the juries. The implementation of professional juries into the U.S. criminal justice is viewed as an extremely positive phenomenon.
Using professional, instead of lay juries will create several significant benefits on the overall system of criminal justice in the country.
Professional juries will take objective professional decisions. Non-professional “lay” jurors “do not want to serve and find the trial to be an inconvenience” (Mitchell, 2005). Professional jurors will pay more attention to the proceeding and to their own decisions. Professional juries will carry direct liability for their decisions. “The greatest benefit to an admission of liability is the potential to gain an enormous amount of credibility with the jury” (Decision Quest, 2008).
Professional juries will ground their Assessments on professional legal knowledge. “Professional jurors could become proficient at determining which evidence is critical or relevant and which is not” (Bruno, 2006). Professionalism will eliminate bias in criminal justice, and professional juries will be available for the criminal justice proceedings whenever the system needs them.
By implementing professional juries, the criminal justice system faces several serious challenges. Using professional peers requires additional financial resources. Professional juries require being paid for their services (Bruno, 2006). Persuasive professionalism may result in complacency and cynicism. Professional prominence can turn the criminal justice into a league of fame “once professional juries become widely known” (Bruno, 2006).
Juries must be professional. Legal professionalism of the juries is an effective instrument of eliminating bias in criminal justice. The state possesses sufficient financial resources to prepare and support professional jurors. A juror should be a thoughtful judge of each criminal case. Professional jurors will bring objectivity and reason into criminal court proceedings.
References
Bruno, N. (2006). Why trust justice to amateurs? The National Law Journal, January 30.
Retrieved April 02, 2008 from http://www.sheppardmullin.com/assets/attachments/353.pdf
Decision Quest. (2008). The pros and cons of admitting liability. Decision Points. Retrieved
April 02, 2008 from http://www.decisionquest.com/litigation_library.php?NewsID=126
Mitchell, T. (2005). How the jury system should be reformed. The American Daily. Retrieved
April 02, 2008 from http://www.americandaily.com/article/6558