Michael Singer

Jury Duty (eBook, ePUB)

Reclaiming Your Political Power and Taking Responsibility

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Written by a legal scholar for the general reader, this book demystifies the institution of the jury and validates its political power, providing valuable insights for the more than 30 million Americans who receive a jury summons each year. Jury Duty: Reclaiming Your Political Power and Taking Responsibility presents an accessible account of the origins and development of the jury system as well as a comprehensive, stage-by-stage description of a jury trial and of the sentencing procedure in a criminal trial. The work also provides a unique estimate of the cost of the jury system, which is particularly relevant in this continuing era of budget constraints. Rejecting the justifications usually given for the jury system, the work explains how the political roles of the jury constitute the chief value of the jury system. The basis of these political roles is the unquestionable power of the jury to acquit even a guilty criminal defendant, which allows juries to prevent the enforcement of unjust laws and the imposition of unjust punishments. Accordingly, the book challenges a range of practices that the judiciary has developed to obstruct the jury's exercise of this power. Most people-even including many lawyers-remain unaware of these practices, but they undermine the value of the jury system to our society. Finally, the book offers an original, thought-provoking analysis of the responsibilities imposed on criminal trial jurors in cases of compelling injustice.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Altersempfehlung: ab 7 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 6. Juli 2012
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9798216107521
• Artikelnr.: 68345652

Autorenporträt

Michael Singer, MA, PhD, JD, is professor at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London, England.

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgments Introduction PART I The Basics of the Jury System Chapter 1
How the Jury System Works Chapter 2 What the Jury System Costs Chapter 3
Citizens as Jurors in the Justice System PART II Myths about the Jury
System Chapter 4 The Myth of Improved Trial Outcomes Chapter 5 The Myth of
Promoting Democratic Citizenship PART III The Jury as Political Institution
Chapter 6 The Long History of the Nullification Power Chapter 7 The Jury as
Safeguard against Government Chapter 8 The Worth of the Jury System PART IV
Government Obstruction of the Jury Chapter 9 Obstruction of the Jury in the
Trial Process Chapter 10 Obstruction of the Jury in the Sentencing Process
PART V Jury Responsibility Chapter 11 Discretion and Responsibility
Chapter 12 Conscientious Fulfillment of Jury Duty Chapter 13 Juror
Responsibility for Unjust Prison Conditions Notes Bibliography Index