NCJ Number
103900
Date Published
1986
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Results from New South Wales (Australia) research indicate juror characteristics, court assistance received by jurors, and the attitudes of prospective and actual jurors toward serving on a jury.
Abstract
A survey of the 1985 jury roll to determine who was disqualified, ineligible, or exempt from jury found that up to 44 percent of those enrolled to vote and chosen for a draft jury roll were deleted before the roll was finalized. Over three-quarters of the deletions were for statutorily permitted reasons. Surveys of prospective and actual jurors indicate the jury panels and juries were representative of the community as indicated from the latest census data. There was some underrepresentation by senior citizens, young males, the unemployed, tradespeople, and laborers. Jurors complained that the courts did not sufficiently help them in their endeavors. They desired assistance in notetaking, the use of transcripts, and other aids to help them in their tasks. One-fifth of the prospective jurors objected to attending the jury empanelment, with self-employed and unemployed persons minding the most. Seventy percent of prospective jurors believed they would benefit from serving on a jury. Ninety-four percent of the jurors surveyed believed juries should be retained for criminal trials. Some jurors' suggestions for improving the system were the use of majority verdicts, reduction in jury size for minor charges, and the use of professional jurors. 7 tables and 6 references.