MAKE JUROR TRAINING BEFORE SERVING MANDATORY!


MAKE JUROR TRAINING BEFORE SERVING MANDATORY!
The Issue
In the aftermath of seeking culpability for Caylee's death, it became increasingly evident that some Jurors have a degree of difficulty following the stringent and meticulous stipulations of their Jury obligations regarding the Honorable Judge's expressed directions. It is recognized that this could be due to what is commonly referred to as the 'CSI Effect' or a scaled level of comprehension and misunderstandings due to clarity of instructions received just before deliberations. While everyone is permitted to be adjudged by a Jury of his or her peers, what is also required is the assurance that the Jurors who sit in judgment of a case, have the capability to follow, grasp and process facts, data and knowledge to high degree of intelligent, rational and well-informed competency. It also became apparent that some Jurors have difficulty with certain terms used during deliberations; for instance, the term reasonable doubt. In many trials, instructions are verbalized and written and provided to Jurors during the deliberation phase, no one is sure, that all the Jurors read them and that all the Jurors understand them. Yet, every Juror is charged with the responsibility of following each and every instruction during deliberations. It appears comprehension may be at fault. Today, there are very minimal standards for Juror who serves on such crucial matters as death and other criminal trials. It is not enough to simply be a Citizen of the United States. While discrimination should not be advocated, the logical solution to ensuring a miscarriage of justice does not occur, is to require all people who are called to be Jurors to take a basic yet comprehensive two-four hour [in person] mandatory training course before serving. Why is this important? A Juror who does not understand his or her role in a trial stands the chance of permitting an innocent verdict when a guilty verdict might be appropriate and a guilty verdict when an innocent verdict is appropriate. Innocent people ought not be imprisoned and guilty people ought not be free to re-offend.
The Issue
In the aftermath of seeking culpability for Caylee's death, it became increasingly evident that some Jurors have a degree of difficulty following the stringent and meticulous stipulations of their Jury obligations regarding the Honorable Judge's expressed directions. It is recognized that this could be due to what is commonly referred to as the 'CSI Effect' or a scaled level of comprehension and misunderstandings due to clarity of instructions received just before deliberations. While everyone is permitted to be adjudged by a Jury of his or her peers, what is also required is the assurance that the Jurors who sit in judgment of a case, have the capability to follow, grasp and process facts, data and knowledge to high degree of intelligent, rational and well-informed competency. It also became apparent that some Jurors have difficulty with certain terms used during deliberations; for instance, the term reasonable doubt. In many trials, instructions are verbalized and written and provided to Jurors during the deliberation phase, no one is sure, that all the Jurors read them and that all the Jurors understand them. Yet, every Juror is charged with the responsibility of following each and every instruction during deliberations. It appears comprehension may be at fault. Today, there are very minimal standards for Juror who serves on such crucial matters as death and other criminal trials. It is not enough to simply be a Citizen of the United States. While discrimination should not be advocated, the logical solution to ensuring a miscarriage of justice does not occur, is to require all people who are called to be Jurors to take a basic yet comprehensive two-four hour [in person] mandatory training course before serving. Why is this important? A Juror who does not understand his or her role in a trial stands the chance of permitting an innocent verdict when a guilty verdict might be appropriate and a guilty verdict when an innocent verdict is appropriate. Innocent people ought not be imprisoned and guilty people ought not be free to re-offend.
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Petition created on July 11, 2011