The jury came to Russia from the West, where the principles of the democratic system were highly valued. In foreign countries, it was believed that a criminal should have a chance to justify himself and his actions, or to prove his innocence. In this case, the court divided its decision on an equal basis with the people.
The role of jurors in court
According to the already established tradition, there should be twelve jurors in the court. From a psychological point of view, this is the ideal number of people to make a single correct decision. Each of the jurors is a participant in a common single process. For a certain amount of time, the juror needs to completely abandon his affairs for the sake of making a collective decision and expressing his opinion.
In addition to the twelve jurors, several reserve applicants must also be present at the trial. Their task is to replace someone who dropped out of the twelve jurors for one reason or another.
A court session, as a rule, lasts an indefinite period, and the process can drag on for a long time. Jurors are paid for their work. If, in addition to this activity, a person does not do anything else, then his work is evaluated by the established standards for each day spent at the meeting.
Jurors must rely only on reliable facts when passing judgment. Emotions in this case should not affect the case in question. Before the start of the trial, the jury does not know any information about the defendant. They do not know the personal qualities, social status, marital status of the defendant. This is done so that the final verdict of the court is as objective and justified as possible. The jury should only take into account the facts and evidence presented at the trial.
Jury trial
In Russia, the jury was formed for quite a long time, as it was authoritarian. For a long time, the court did not want to share power with non-professional people. We can say that it was the fear that the jury would pass a positive verdict for the criminal. Most critics were against this institution. They believed that the guilt of the criminal had already been proven by investigators and professionals, and were categorically opposed to people of ordinary working professions having the right to a final decision on the case. But as a result, the jury still appeared and continues its activity even today.
However, it is worth noting that the amendments were made immediately. Jurors are not allowed to touch the legal field, because there are judges for this. The task of the jury is to identify the culprit's guilt or to prove his innocence. Consequently, the defendant, confident in his innocence, can count on support from ordinary people. This form of litigation has existed for many years.