Corruption of juries

Harassment of juries
Jury rigging
Jury nobbling

Nature

The corruption of a jury is so that a desired verdict is reached. The number of jurors corrupted varies from country to country depending on the number needed for a guilty verdict. Jurors may be influenced through bribery, threats to the timid, pleas of innocence to the impressionable (usually by an attractive member of the opposite sex), the trial judge, or pleas of being falsely accused to the anti-establishment.

Incidence

Police estimate that in London alone as many as 12 cases a year are halted and re-tried because jury nobbling has been discovered. There is no estimate of the number of trials in which nobbling remains undetected.

Claim

The corruption of juries is a grave threat to justice and democracy. When jurors are swayed by bribery, intimidation, or bias, the very foundation of our legal system crumbles. This insidious manipulation undermines public trust, allowing the guilty to escape accountability while innocent lives are ruined. We must confront this issue with urgency, ensuring that juries remain impartial and fair, safeguarding the rights of all individuals and preserving the integrity of our judicial process.

Counter-claim

The notion of jury corruption is vastly overstated and distracts from real issues within the justice system. Juries, composed of ordinary citizens, are generally committed to upholding the law and delivering fair verdicts. Isolated incidents of misconduct do not reflect the integrity of the entire system. Focusing on sensationalized claims of corruption undermines public trust in a vital democratic process. Instead, we should celebrate the jury system's strengths rather than amplify unfounded fears.