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(USGovernment-News.Com, April 30, 2013 ) Dublin, Ireland -- While it is one of the key principles of the Republican's court system: that while subject to specific exemption, no one ought be able to be tried for any criminal charge without a jury, the concept has shifted over the recent decades.
In the landmark 1927 Juries Act, only the landowning Irish males aged 21 or over could sit upon a jury. In Ireland and other common-law countries, opponents often expended the right of women to argue that serving on a jury was a right of theirs, despite the counter that it would conflict with their duties at home.
It was not until the arguments of the women's movement that won its standing in the second half of the 20th century that women finally won the right to serve on a jury.
The decision by the Supreme Court in 1971 paved the way for the Juries Act in 1976. The precedent still points the way for jury service today, and has widened the pool to include any Irish citizen who is 18 or over.
There are a long list of doctors, nurses, university lecturers, who may be excused from jury duty “as a right”. The Act also allowed for room for further exclusions, and gave defense and prosecution lawyers the ability to challenge serve jurors without having any particular reason.
Jurors are much like those in the United States, wherein little is known about them or what they discussed whilst deliberating. Still, anyone who has sat through particular trials has likely been impressed by the diligence of citizen to fulfill their duty, according to most who have served.
In 1993, a study was done by the Department of Finance that found an average of 30% to 40% of those summoned were actually available for jury duty. Some fraud cases seemed to show that juror comprehension may be problematic, and the rise of crime gangs increased fears of jury-tampering and intimidation.
All of this culminated in the findings of the Law Reform Commission that was recently released. Based on details and analysis, the report showed 56 recommendations on a range of juror subjects.
The commission argues for the scraping of blanket excuse for professionals and civil servants, stating it is both difficult to reconcile that stance with the concept that a jury should represent the general community.
The report also calls for introduction of new punishments for jurors who willingly disclose information or interacting with the accused through the internet.
Furthermore, the report notes two recommendations for long and complex trials. It states that the court should have the power to empanel three additional jurors where a judge estimates a trial may take longer than three months, to avoid complications of such a trial.
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