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Where am I now? Lawlink > Law Reform Commission > Publications > Report 48 (1986) - Criminal Procedure: The Jury in a Criminal Trial

Report 48 (1986) - Criminal Procedure: The Jury in a Criminal Trial


Table of Contents

Terms of Reference
Participants in this Report
Summary of Recommendations
Preface

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
I. Background

    A. The Terms of Reference
    B. The Jury in a Criminal Trial
    C. The Commission's Empirical Research Program
II. Principles Underlying Our Work On the Jury System
    A. Seven Principles
    B. The Relationship of these Principles to the Jury System
    C. The Reason for Law Reform
Footnotes

CHAPTER 2: THE JURY IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
I. The Retention of the Jury

    A. The Threshold Question
    B. Alternatives to the Jury
    C. Subsidiary Questions
II. The Use of the Jury
    A. The Incidence of Jury Trials
    B. Serious Criminal Cases
    C. Trial by Jury in Cases where Jurisdiction is Optional
    D. The Size of the Jury
Footnotes

CHAPTER 3: THE FORM OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
I. The Goals to be Achieved

    A. Ensuring a Representative Jury: Chapter Four
    B. Protecting the Jury: Chapter Five
    C. Making the Jury's Task Easier: Chapter Six
    D. Reducing Bias and Prejudice: Chapter Seven
    E. Promoting Satisfactory Verdicts: Chapter Eight
    F. Requiring the Verdict to be Unanimous: Chapter Nine
    G. Saving Time and Money: Chapter Ten
    H. Disclosing Jury Deliberations: Chapter Eleven
II. Interdependence of Our Recommendations
III. Implementation of Our Recommendations
IV. Areas for Future Consideration
Footnotes

CHAPTER 4: ENSURING A REPRESENTATIVE JURY
I. Introduction and Background
II. Compilation of Jury Rolls

    A. The Draft Jury Roll
    B. Grounds for Deleting People from the Jury Roll
III. Summoning a Jury
    A. Excusing People from Jury Service on a Particular Occasion
    B. Jury Vetting
    C. Personal Applications to the Judge
    D. Procedures to Exclude Bias in a Particular Trial
IV. The Rights of Challenge
    A. Challenge to the Array
    B. Challenges for Cause
    C. Peremptory Challenges
    D. Judicial Discretion to Discharge a Jury
    E. Consent Challenges
Footnotes

CHAPTER 5: PROTECTING THE JURY
I. Introduction
II. Specific Recommendations

    A. The Secrecy of the Jury Panel
    B. Reference to Individual Jurors in Court
    C. Information about Prospective Jurors
    D. Reading the Jurors' Names
    E. Identifying the Jurors in a Criminal Trial
Footnotes

CHAPTER 6: MAKING THE JURY'S TASK EASIER
I. Introduction
II. Information Provided Before the Trial

    A. Improving the Notification of Inclusion on a Draft Jury Roll
    B. Improving the Jury Summons
    C. Providing an Explanatory Booklet
    D. Showing a Short Orientation Video Film
    E. Estimating the Length of the Trial
III. Information Provided at Trial
    A. Judge's Orientation Address to the Jury
    B. The Juror's Oath or Affirmation
IV. Presenting the Evidence, Arguments and Summing-up to the Jury
    A. The Defence Opening
    B. Introduction of Witnesses
    C. Technical and Scientific Evidence
    D. Other Evidence
    E. Judge's Instructions to the Jury
    F. Communicating with Juries
V. Materials to Assist the Jury
    A. The Documents In the Case
    B. The Transcript
    C. Written Directions of Law
    D. Written Statements of Alternative Verdicts
    E. Material Exhibits
VI. Jurors' Conditions of Service
    A. Refreshment and menities
    B. Jury Fees
    C. Personal Injury Compensation
Footnotes

CHAPTER 7: REDUCING BIAS AND PREJUDICE
I. Introduction
II. Pre-Trial Publicity

    A. Trial by Judge Alone
    B. Additional Remedies
III. Procedures Before Empanelling the Jury
    A. Identification of the Juror's Association with the Case
    B. The Identification of Specific Sources of Bias
IV. Prejudice During the Trial
    A. Determining the Real Influence of Prejudicial Publicity
    B. Continuation of the Trial in Appropriate Cases
    C. The Role of the Sheriff's Officers
    D. Allowing the Jury to Separate
V. Procedures After Trial
Footnotes

CHAPTER 8: PROMOTING SATISFACTORY VERDICTS
I. Introduction
II. Deliberations

    A. Separate Deliberations in Joint Trials
    B. Length of Deliberation: A Minimum
    C. Length of Deliberation: A Maximum
III. The Verdict of the Jury
    A. Delivery of the Verdict
    B. The Recommendation for Mercy
    C. Clarifying the Factual Basis of the Jury's Verdict
IV. Directed Verdicts
    A. Directed Verdicts of Acquittal
    B. Directions to Convict
V. The Jury In Complex Cases
    A. Evidence of a Complex, Scientific or Technical Nature
    B. The Presentation of Complex Information
    C. The Use of Specially qualified Jurors
Footnotes

CHAPTER 9: REQUIRING THE VERDICT TO BE UNANIMOUS
I. The Unanimity Requirement

    A. The Origins and Effect of the Common Law Rule of Unanimity
    B. Statutory Abrogation of the Unanimity Rule Elsewhere
    C. The Arguments Advanced Against the Unanimity Rule
    D. Reasons for Retaining the Unanimity Rule
II. Majority Verdicts
    A. The Disadvantages of Majority Verdicts
    B. The Views of Mr Sackville and Mr Justice Roden
III. The Direction to the Jury
Footnotes

CHAPTER 10: SAVING TIME AND MONEY
I. Introduction
II. Pre-Trial Hearings
III. Avoiding the Diminution of the Jury

    A. Background
    B. A System of Providing Additional Jurors
    C. The Minimum Size of the Jury
IV. Efficiency in Empanelment
    A. Streamlining Procedures for Empanelling Juries
V. Trial by Judge Alone
    A. Issues of Law Only
    B. Other Circumstances
    C. Procedures for Trial by Judge Alone
    D. Summary Jurisdiction
VI. Retrials
VII. Cost savings from Other Proposals
Footnotes

CHAPTER 11: DISCLOSING THE DELIBERATIONS OF THE JURY
I. Introduction

    A. The Conventional Rule Regarding Disclosure
    B. Jurors' Disclosures as Contempt of Court
    C. Jurors' Disclosures as Evidence
II. The Current Law Regarding Disclosures by Jurors
    A. The Law in New South Wales
    B. The Law in the United Kingdom
    C. The Law in Canada
    D. The Law in the United States
    E. The Law in Victoria
III. Jury Secrecy: the Arguments for and Against
    A. Arguments in Favour of Jury Secrecy
    B. Arguments Against the Secrecy Rule
IV. Specific Recommendations
    A. Soliciting Information and Harassment of Jurors
    B. Research on the Jury System
    C. The Sale of Jury Secrets
    D. Jury Disclosures During Trial
    E. Jurors' Disclosures in Other Contexts
Footnotes

APPENDIX A: People Who Have Assisted the Commission

APPENDIX B: Costing of Proposal to Increase Jury Fees After First Week of Service



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