Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

What are your thoughts on Jury Duty?
Please go wherever you want with this, but in general i'm curious about...
1. Is it a privilege?
2. Is it a burden?
3. Is it obsolete?
4. If so, what's a better system?
5. Have you ever served?

Pointless to be honest. In many cases the technical and scientific evidence as well as medical or psychological expert testimonies are far beyond the comprehension of your average jury member. You effectively get evidence that is difficult to understand compounded by legal beauracracy and decisions of innocence or guilt being left to people who understand neither.

Agreed the Judge should be able to rule and jury with Judge's help should determine sentences.

That said I could just imagine quotas for convictions becoming a thing or ex cops/prosecutors bringing heavy bias with them.

The system we have now is broken but needed still.

Interesting reasoning for a common reaction to the Jury question. Most people knee jerk say something along the lines of "no its not needed" etc, but dont back it up with much.
Thanks guys.

I got summoned once but never served. I think it's a good duty obviously one of the people might be lying and I think it is fair for 12 people to determine the truth. I think people are quite capable.

Reminds me of Agent K in Men in Black: A person is smart. People are stupid.

Used to get them all the time. Even a jury questionnaire from Uncle Sam. Put the Fed one start in the trash. They sent me a f/u a few months later and said I did not send the first one back and to fill out another one.

Again in the trash it went. Called them up yesterday after a few years and they said no your good.

I figure if Uncle Sam is trillions in debt, they are going to do what put me in jail for a year? Silly stuff.

Jury duty should be optional like paying taxes.

It can be interesting when it's not boring.

You just like watching people's lives be ruined.

Who's ever jury Riv is going to be on, I would be afraid for that person.

Served twice.

Philosophically, I abhor our system, not just with the peer review aspect of it (laymen are woefully ignorant of not just scientific matters but legal ones as well, which makes many juries scarily manipulable), but I also object to it on moral grounds. My opinions on moral responsibility don't look kindly on our system of punishments.

On the former problem, a lot of confusion could be cleared up by appointing more judges and having them serve as a jury. If I were innocent, I'd far prefer a jury of, say, 3 or 5 judges trained in legal matters. If I were guilty, I'd much prefer a confused group of my "peers." On the latter, there's no easy solution, though several tentative proposals have been put forth by philosophers and social activists. Basically, shifting from a system of punishment to a system of rehabilitation would be the primary alteration in my ideal system.

I also don't get into the debate of privilege or pointless. It is what it is; it does nothing to tack on needless patriotism, or equally needless disdain for the system (you're just annoyed, so admit it and suck it up).

That said, the first of my two times was amazingly fascinating. I served on a fairly high-profile case with wildly high-stakes implications. The trial itself lasted a full week, and was tense and interesting. The second time was far more boring. But that's that.

There's a reason i phrased the question the way i did. To see who would do what you suggested.

NEW PAGE

New page, anyway I do t think Australia has jury duty

Most countries do.

SAME PAGE

Originally posted by Genesis-Soldier
New page, anyway I do t think Australia has jury duty
What are the alternatives?

Originally posted by riv6672
What are the alternatives?

NEW PAGE or SAME PAGE

Originally posted by Stringer
NEW PAGE or SAME PAGE
New quote to put under my sig?
Originally posted by Stringer
Simply the best...

Arrogant ****, but he deserves it.

Bet it will be a 2 at most

Hahaha

As long as i know you think i'm the best.

Originally posted by Stringer
Simply the best...

Arrogant ****, but he deserves it.

New page.

1

Originally posted by riv6672
What are your thoughts on Jury Duty?
Please go wherever you want with this, but in general i'm curious about...
1. Is it a privilege?
2. Is it a burden?
3. Is it obsolete?
4. If so, what's a better system?
5. Have you ever served? From my limited experience, it's a royal pain in the ass that interferes with my life. However...

1. I believe it is one of the last bastions of society where people strive to do a good, decent and honorable job. Despite the justice system being imperfect (or perhaps because of it), people take this duty to heart and want to do the right thing.
2. It is a fascinating opportunity to see the justice system at work.

I've never served, though last time I came real close. As the last defense attorney who interviewed me said, 'You psychologists make lawyers nervous'.

We'll see if that still holds. I should be getting a jury summons next month.

Ha, well good luck on getting chosen, then...