Jury

I am one of the 12 members of the jury. I was chosen by the lawyers from a list of candidates picked at random from the voters list. My colleagues and I take on the role of judge during the trial; we have the important task of deciding the guilt or innocence of the accused. I consider myself privileged¾few people can say that they got to be a judge for a day!

Throughout the trial, I must listen carefully to the evidence presented because my decision on the guilt or innocence of the accused must be based on this evidence and nothing else. For this reason, I constantly take notes. This might seem unnecessary at first glance, but I was warned that jury trials can be long and it is difficult to pay attention the whole time. At any rate, I cannot forget that the fate of an individual is in my hands…

Up until now, the other members of the jury and I have been present for every day of the trial. However, so that we won’t be influenced by discussions between the judge and lawyers on questions of law, the judge has asked us to leave the room on a couple of occasions. At these times, we are not allowed to discuss the facts of the case that we have just heard. In fact, we have to wait until all the evidence has been presented before beginning our deliberations. This is made even more difficult by the fact that we are together during the whole trial, except when we return to our homes at night after a hearing day.

When all the evidence has been presented, we must complete the final step of our work as a jury: deliberation. We have to decide if the prosecution has proven the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. We are not experts in law; this is why the judge must give us instructions and explanations of the rules of law that we have to take into account when deciding what our verdict will be. During this period, we will be “sequestered”. We will have to stay together for the entire deliberation period, without even being allowed to return home. Since we will have to give a unanimous verdict, it is possible that the deliberations will be long. The idea of spending several nights at a hotel, far from my family, doesn’t excite me much, but I realise that this isolation ensures that our discussions remain secret, and it protects us from outside influences.

When we meet for the first time in the deliberation room, after receiving our instructions from the judge, we will be able to choose a jury foreperson who will be our representative to the court and who will speak in our name. But note that during the deliberations, this person’s opinion will have no more importance than mine or that of any other juror.

During our time in deliberation, the judge will be available to answer our questions. These will be sent in writing and will be discussed with the lawyers in our absence. The judge will give us her answers in court, in the presence of the accused, the lawyers, and the public. When we come to an agreement on the verdict, the jury foreperson announces it to the court. After the verdict, my work as a juror will be done, since it is the judge’s job to sentence the accused.

Even if being chosen for jury duty turned my life upside-down, and I was not all that enthusiastic when I received my summons, I can now say that this was a unique experience for me. Having to judge one of my peers and being an essential actor in our justice system during the trial is certainly one of the heaviest responsibilities that I have ever had. I am proud to be able to say that my fellow jurors and I take the task that society has given us very seriously. We are convinced that because of our work, justice will be done.