Deck 7: B: Juries: Fact Finders

Question 1

List four proposed reforms for judges' instructions aimed at facilitating juror understanding.

Answer 1

-rewriting instructions
-providing a written copy of instructions to jurors
-pre- and post- evidence instructions
-having lawyers clarify legal instruction during their presentation to the jury

Question 2

Besides the method of placing a ban on pretrial publicity,name and explain two other methods that courts can employ to increase the likelihood of jury impartiality.

Answer 2

a.Change of venue:
-Crown or defence may argue that the trial should be moved to a different community than the one in which the crime occurred,as it may be difficult to obtain an impartial jury from the local community.
b.Adjournment:
-The judge may delay the trial for a certain period of time with the goal of allowing biasing effects of pretrial information to dissipate.
c.Challenge for cause:
-Crown or defence may argue their suspicion of bias among the potential jury pool and proceed by questioning prospective jurors to identify and reject those demonstrating partiality.

Question 3

List four functions of a jury.

Answer 3

-To apply the law to the admissible evidence in a case and render a verdict
-To use the wisdom of 12 to reach a verdict
-To protect against outdated laws
-To increase knowledge about the justice system
-To act as the conscience of the community

Question 4

In the context of jury decision making,distinguish between the terms polarization,leniency bias,and black sheep effect.

Question 5

In the context of jury decision making,identify two defendant characteristics that are most likely to result in guilty verdicts,and briefly explain each.

Question 6

What is meant by the juror characteristic of impartiality? What are two of the issues surrounding impartiality?

Question 7

List two proposed advantages and two proposed disadvantages associated with the asking of questions by jurors as a courtroom comprehension aid.

Question 8

List one advantage and one disadvantage of using simulation studies to investigate jury decision making.Briefly outline a simulation study to study the effects of victim characteristics in a sexual assault case on juror decision making.Make sure you clearly identify your independent variables (and/or person characteristics)and dependent variables.