Assignment:
Overview: For this assignment, you will write a short paper addressing the controversial issue of obtaining a fair cross section of jurors to serve on a jury.
The continuing underrepresentation of some groups-including minorities, young adults, and the poor-remains a concern in attempting to create a fair cross section of the community represented on juries. One reason for this underrepresentation is obvious racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Another reason is that the poor often cannot afford to be on juries, because they will miss work and be compensated at a much lower wage to serve on the jury. Social class plays a strong role in conflict theory, as the theory suggests socioeconomic status directly affects the selection of jurors and the disparity in social class of those incarcerated in this country. Often, attorneys use peremptory challenges to exclude jurors, which require no show of cause or reasonable grounds to exclude. These peremptory challenges are often utilized when a juror seems apathetic or disinterested in the process. Peremptory challenges are limited in number, whereas challenges for cause (some type of conflict, bias, or affiliation with the involved parties) are unlimited.
Prompt: Address the following critical elements in your paper:
1. Issue Presented: Summarize the issue in the form of a brief one-sentence question.
2. Short Answer: Provide a short answer which summarizes the conclusion of the paper.
3. Statement of Facts: Describe how the issue may negatively affect public perception of the criminal justice system.
4. Discussion: Provide a brief discussion of the issue, including the recent history of the issue and any legal precedents related to it.
5. Conclusion: Provide a conclusion based on the details of the issue outlined in the Discussion section.
6. Recommendations:
a) What recommendations should be in place to make sure that the jury pool contains a fair cross section of the community?
b) What are types of evidence-based practices can be employed to have people of lower socioeconomic status more willing to serve on a jury?
c) Based on your analysis of the issue using conflict theory, what are the best practices to ensure random selection of individuals to serve on a jury?
d) Address what the impact of this issue is on the criminal justice system. Are more organizations than only courts affected by this?
Include examples of the impact on the different branches of the criminal justice system. Reference your course readings in your submission to support your answers.
Guidelines for Submission: Your submission should be 2 to 3 pages in length (in addition to title and reference pages) and should use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Use APA style to cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.
Readings:
1. A jury of whose peers? eliminating racial discrimination in jury selection procedures
By Hilary weddell
2. Jury nullification and the rule of law
By Brenner M. Fissell