Have you been called to serve on a jury? What was your experience like? Do you think the process makes us better citizens?
For the past 7 weeks I have served as a juror. It was an inconvenience, a lot of time away from work, and my family. I also felt a great sense of inadequacy for the task at hand. Passing judgment on another person, with serious life consequences riding on the decision, is not a simple thing. I feel honored, and very thankful to have served our justice system and truly proud to say we the jury did our due diligence in weighing both sides, having an open mind, thinking critically and looking at the evidence. I am a strong believer in confidentiality so I won’t go into details of the case, but I will say it has opened my eyes to crime and has giving me a new respect for our justice system.
Jury duty does disrupts the life of the average citizen, but reminds us that we have an integral part in the democratic process. I thank God for His wisdom, and for the experience. To my fellow jurors it was a pleasure meeting you all, while our debate got a little heated at times, we stayed true to the task. It has been a memorable experience one I will never forget.
What is Jury Duty:
A jury is composed of 12 jurors plus 2 alternates. It consists of citizens brought together to listen to evidence presented by both the prosecution and defense in the matter of a criminal proceeding. During the deliberation process at the end of the trial, the jurors sort out the facts and apply the law as given them by the court. The result of a trial jury’s deliberations is called a verdict: the determination that the defendant’s guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If you have been chosen for duty and need more information visit the Canadian Jury Duty website http://www.canadianlawsite.ca/jury-duty.htm or do a search for one in your area.
“If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.” Francis Bacon
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