If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. e,R~ S:-k-.- ~:2? ). NEW SOUTH WALES !IF-( ~~ LAW REFORM COMMISSION CRIMINAL PROCEDURE THE JURY IN A CRIMINAL TRIAL REPORT LRC48 1986 r t NEW SOUTH WALES LAW REFORM COMMISSION I I. i' t°g- Q9Q CRIMINAL PROCEDURE REPORT THE JURY IN A CRIMINAL TRIAL MARCH 1986 NCJRS LRC48 FEB 10 1988 ACQUI·SiTlQNS 108999 U.S. Department of Justi~e Nationattnstitute of Justice uced exactly as received from the This document has bee~ :eprod 't points of view or opinions stat~d erson or organization onglnatlng I. thors and do not necessanly fn this document are those of the ~u s of the National Institute of represent the official posItion or po ICle Justice. d this copyrighted material has been Permission to repro uce granted by forn Commj ssion Ne~JS~Q~llctt~b~W~aJL~e~s&-IT~.auw~BR£e~~m-~~~~ to the National Criminal Justice Reference SeNice (NCJRS). NCJRS system requires permis- Further reproduction outSide of the sion of the copyright owner. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-In-Publication entry NEW SOUTH WALES. Law Reform Commission. Criminal procedure report: The jury in a criminal trial. Bibliography. ISBN 0 7305 1546 X. 1. Jury-New South Wales. 2. Trial practice-New South Wales. 3. Trials-New South Wales. 4. Criminal procedure-New South Wales. 1. Title. II. Title: The jury In a criminal trial (Series: New South Wales. Law Reform Commission, L. R. C. 48). 345. 944'075 iii New South Wales Law Reform Commission To The Honourable T W Sheahan, BA, LLB, MP, Attorney General for New South Wales CRIMINAL PROCEDURE REPORT THE JURY IN A CRIMINAL TRIAL We make this Report under our reference from your predecessor, .,;" the Honourable F J Walker, gc, MP, to inquire into and review the law and practice relating to criminal procedure and, in particular, the practices and procedures relating to juries in criminal proceedings. Keith Mason gc Paul Byrne (Chairman of the Commission) (Commissioner in Charge) Greg James gc Her Honour Judge Jane Mathews (Part-time Commissioner) (Part-time Commissioner) The Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Roden (Part-time Commissioner) Ronald Sackville (Part-time Commissioner) March 1986 v Table of Contents Para Page Terms of Reference xiii Participants in this Report xv Summary of Recommendations xvii Preface xxxi t [ il { Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION I. Backgro~nd 1.1 1 A. The Terms of Reference 1. 1 1 B. The Jury in a Criminal Trial 1.4 2 I~ I~ C. The Commission's Empirical Research Program 1.9 3 II. Principles Underlying Our Work On the Jury System 1. 18 7 A. Seven Principles 1. 19 7 B. The Relationship of these Principles to the Jury System 1. 28 10 C. The Reason for Law Reform 1. 30 10 Footnotes 11 Chapter 2: THE JURY IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM I. The Retention of the Jury 2.1 13 A. The Threshold Question 2.1 13 B. Alternatives to the Jury 2. 6 16 C. Subsidiary Questions 2.8 17 n. The Use of the Jury 2. 9 17 A. The Incidence of Jury Trials 2. 9 17 B. Serious Criminal Cases 2.11 19 C. Trial by Jury in Cases where Jurisdiction is Optional 2.15 20 D. The Size of the Jury 2.22 22 Footnotes 22 vi Para Page Chapter 3: THE FORM OF OUR R.ECOMMENDATIONS 1. The Goals to be Achieved 3. 1 25 A. Ensuring a Representative Jury: Chapter Four 3.2 25 B. Protecting the Jury: Chapter Five 3.3 25 C. Making the Jury's Task Easier: Chapter Six 3.4 25 D. Reducing Bias and Prejudice: Chapter Seven 3.5 26 E. Promoting Satisfactory Verdicts: Chapter Eight 3.6 26 F. Requiring the Verdict to be Unanimous Chapter Nine 3.7 26 G. Saving Time and Money: Chapter Ten 3.8 26 H. Disclosing Jury Deliberations: Chapter Eleven 3. 9 26 II. Interdependence of Our Recommendations 3.10 26 III. Implementation o.f Our Recommendations 3.11 27 IV. Areas for Future Consideration 3. 14 27 Footnotes 28 Chapter 4: ENSURING A REPRESENTATIVE JURY 1. Introduction and Background 4.1 29 II. Compilation of Jury Rolls 4. 10 31 A. The Draft Jury Roll 4.10 31 B. Grounds for Deleting People from the Jury Roll 4. 15 33 IlI. Summoning a Jury 4. 41 44 A. Excusing People from Jury Service on a Particular Occasion 4.41 44 B. Jury Vetting 4.43 45 C. Personal Applications to the Judge 4.46 46 i! / l ,l t , vii "( \ ~ 1, # Para Page t D. Procedures to Exclude Bias in a f" 4.48 47 ,:1.' Particular Trial :{. IV. The Rights of Challenge 4. 49 47 l, ~ A. Challenge to the Array 4. 50 48 ~ £ B. Challenges for Cause 4. 52 48 ~ ,\ C. Peremptory Challenges 4. 57 50 J D. Judicial Discretion to Discharge f a Jury 4. 76 57 ~ ,{ ,to. E. Consent Challenges 4. 77 58 ~ ~ ~ Footnotes 58 Chapter 5: PROTECTING THE JURY l. Introduction 5.1 63 II. Specific Recommendations 5. 8 64 A. The Secrecy of the Jury Panel 5.8 64 B. Reference to Individual Jurors in Court 5. 9 65 C. Information about Prospective Jurors 5.11 66 D. Reading the Jurors' Names 5.12 66 E. Identifying the Jurors in a Criminal Trial 5. 13 67 Footnotes 69 Chapter 6: MAKING THE JURY'S TASK EASIER I.. Introduction 6.1 71 II. Information Provided Before the Trial 6. 2 72 A. Improving the Notification of I Inclusion on a Draft Jury Roll 6.4 73 t B. Improving the Jury Summons 6. 8 75 ~. C. Providing an Explanatory Booklet 6. 13 77 ~ ~ D. Showing a Short Orientation Video Film 6.15 79 ~$ E. Estimating the Length of the Trial 6.16 79 ~ ~ ~ III. Information Provided at Trial 6. 17 80 ~ A. Judge's Orientation Address to the Jury 6. 17 80 ~. B. The Juror's Oath or Affirmation 6.25 85 i ~ ~ ~ ~ I J viii Para Page IV. Presenting the Evidence, Arguments and Summing-up to the Jury 6.26 86 A. The Defence Opening 6.26 86 B. Introduction of Witnesses 6.27 86 C. Technical and SCientific Evidence 6. 28 87 D. Other Evidence 6. 29 88 E. Judge's Instructions to the Jury 6.30 88 F. Communicating with Juries 6.31 89 V. Materials to Assist the Jury 6. 32 89 A. The Documents in the Case 6.32 89 B. The Transcript 6.33 90 C. Written Directions of Law 6.36 92 D. Written Statements of Alternative Verdicts 6.37 92 E . Material Exhibits 6. 38 93 VI. •Jurors' CondItions of Service 6.39 93 A. Refreshment and menities 6.39 93 B. Jury Fees 6.40 94 C. Personal Injury Compensation 6.45 96 Footnotes 96 Chapter 7: REDUCING BiAS AND PREJUDICE I. Introduction 7.1 99 II. Pre-Trial Publicity 7.3 99 A. Tri:::I.l by Judge Alone 7.3 99 B. Additional Remedies 7.17 104 III. Procedures Before Empanelling the Jury 7.23 106 A. Identific3.tion of the Juror's Association with the Case 7. 23 106 B. The Identification of Specific Sources of Bias 7.29 109 ix Para Page IV. Prejudice During the Trial 7.30 109 A. Determining the Real Influence of Prejudicial Publicity 7.31 110 B. Continuation of the Trial in Appropriate Cases 7.32 111 C. The Role of the Sheriff's Officers 7.33 lJ.2 D. Allowing the Jury to Separate 7.37 113 V. Procedures After Trial 7.42 114 Footnotes 116 Chapter 8: PROMOTING SATISFACTORY VERDICTS 1. Introduction 8.1 119 II. Deliberations 8.3 119 A. Separate Deliberations in Joint Trials 8.3 119 B. Length of Deliberation: A Minimum 8.4 120 C. Length of Deliberation: A Maximum 8.6 121 III. The Verdict of the Jury 8. 7 122 A. Delivery of the Verdict 8. 7 122 B. The Recommendation for Mercy 8.13 124 I C. Clarifying the Factual Basis of the I Jmy's Verdict 8. 16 125 ~ IV. Directed Verdicts 8. 21 127 A. Directed Verdicts of Acquittal 8.21 127 I[ I B. Directions to Convict 8. 22 127 " ~ f ~, , ~ . <, ; x Para Page V. The Jury in Complex Cases 8.24 129 A. Evidence of a Complex. SCientific or Technical Nature 8. 24 129 B. The Presentation of Complex Information 8.33 132 C. The Use of Specially Qualified Jurors 8. 34 133 Footnotes 135 Chapter 9: REQUIRING THE VERDICT TO BE UNANIMOUS 1. The Unanimity Requirement 9.1 139 A. The Origins and Effect of the Common Law Rule of Unanimity 9.2 139 B. Statutory Abrogation of the Unanimity Rule Elsewhere 9.12 143 C. The Arguments Advanced Against the Unanimity Rule 9. 14 143 D. Reasons for Retaining the Unanimity Rule 9. 33 150 II. Majority Verdicts 9. 36 151 A. The Disadvantages of Majority Verdicts 9. 36 151 B. The Views of Mr Sackville and Mr Justice Roden 9. 49 155 III. The Direction to the Jury 9. 51 156 Footnotes 156 Chapter 10: SAVlNG TIME AND MONEY 1. Introduction 10. 1 161 II. Pre-Trial Hearings 10.6 162 III. Avoiding the Diminution of the Jury 10.12 166 A. Background 10.12 166 B. A System of Providing Additional Jurors 10.16 168 C. The Minimum Size of the Jury 10. 23 171 IV. Efficiency in Empanelment 10.29 172 A. Streamlining Procedures for Empanelling Juries 10.