As Americans, we are given the right to a jury trial, one of the most important freedoms that out judicial system has to offer us. A jury consists of anywhere between 6 and 12 registered voters who determine whether a person is guilty or innocent in the act of crime that they are being accused of. Not only do they possess this power in a trial, but they may also judge the laws themselves and whether or not is perhaps unconstitutional, unfair, or cumbersome, in which case they can declare the defendant, the person accused of the crime, not-guilty. Their responsibility is heavy and their power enormous in the outcome of a trial. It is a way of distributing the power so that not just one person has total power, and also allowing society to be involved with their government because the jury acts as the conscience of our society.
"Power corrupts sometimes, but absolute power corrupts absolutely."
-Unknown
Part of what makes a jury so fair is that not just anyone may be selected for jury duty. However, these limitations do not include pertain to race, gender, or social status, they in fact remain as anonymous as they could possibly be with numbers replacing names, and contact to outside sources limited for the sake of conducting an unbiased jury trial. Attorneys are extremely critical when deciding who will partake in a jury. Those chosen must not have any outside contact or any knowledge whatsoever of any person involved in the trial or there is the possibility of a biased vote. As much as possible, lawyers try to choose a well-rounded jury that consists of people from many different fields of work and backgrounds so as to have as many different perspectives as possible. For instance, if a psychologist were on a jury, they could offer a very in-depth perception of those on trial. Also those with a lot of different personal life experiences can usually compare those experiences and use them to benefit their decision making process. For example, in the film, 12 Angry Men, only one man voted not-guilty at the start of the voting process. However, by the end of the movie he had convinced the jury that the defendant, who was on trial for killing his father, was not-guilty. He was only able to do this by forcing the other men on the jury with him to look at their own experiences and apply them to this particular case, which brings the decision making to a much more personal level.
Our government, one that is run by it's people, promises equality and justice and one of the many ways this is carried out is by our right to a jury trial. The power is distributed and opinions of society may be heard. This is why our government functions better than any other.
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