The Importance Of The Jury System

The jury system has been used for over two centuries to give an impartial trial for over countless cases. The court consists of six to twelve jurors, two lawyers, and a judge. This set of people has a duty to America to give fair trials to every case that goes through the system. As society and technology changes, people believe that the jury system should change along with it. With this, the jury system is considered an outdated system, but it has been successful since its creation to select an impartial jury and give people an opportunity to have their individual unbiased judgement considered in the court system. The jury selection process can be a long drawn out procedure; however, the selection process is how the court system selects their …show more content…
After observing the trial, the jurors are released to a private room where they are able to discuss and debate on the case with their fellow jurors. In “A Small Sacrifice, A Significant Payout,” Dan Rodricks talks about his experience as serving as a juror. He explains, “I saw that the system actually works, that jurors take their duty seriously and challenge those who don't. We talked. We debated. We rendered verdicts -- guilty in both cases -- then went our separate ways, feeling a little better about a criminal justice system so frequently called dysfunctional.” Rodricks talks about how him and his fellow jurors served on the case and reached their verdict. Many people believe that the jury system is unfair and dysfunctional. Rodricks also believed that the system was dysfunctional and outdated, but after going through the whole process, it was evident to him that the process works and gave him a chance to voice his individual position on …show more content…
One reason people believe this is due to the racial bias in choosing jurors. In “In Jury Selection Process, a Racial Divide,” Robert Barnes talks about how the jury system is full of racial bias and how it affects the system. He states, “Numerous studies have shown that prosecutors use their peremptory challenges to strike black potential jurors at a much higher rate than whites.” Barnes tries to convince his audience that prosecutors are against choosing African-American jurors. While this may be true, it still reigns that jurors are picked based on their ability to remain impartial and fair. Race of the jurors has no relation to whom is picked to be removed from the pool of jurors. This allows the system to be a successful process that is solely based on impartiality and individual judgement.
The jury system has been effective in selecting an impartial jury and giving people the chance to voice their unbiased judgement despite the belief by some that it is an outdated process. It is important for people to realize that this process is essential to the court system and that without it, it could cause major problems within our justice system. People with the belief that it is outdated has never really seen the system work or have ever tried to understand how it works. With society, people believe what they want to believe and never really try to see it from different point of