Bad Jurors: 114 And Counting

the sierra times ^ | 4/24/03 | Carl F. Worden

[babygene]

"Surely some of these jurors and trials represent resonable judgements based on the facts presented in court."

I was the jury foreman a few years back on a case where a man was accused of, among other things, attempted murder. This case scared the hell out of me. I would say that most of my fellow jurors were uneducated (no, I’m sorry, they were stupid, not uneducated). I spent hours trying to help them understand instructions from the judge that were complex sentences.

In no way were these people capable of rendering a verdict of beyond a reasonable doubt. You would expect half of the people on the jury, if it were random, to be below average intelligence. There’s no way they met that standard.

I said to my wife after the trial, if I were ever charged with something and I was innocent I would want a trial by judge not by jury… I would take my chances with someone who knew the law and could at least read

[Congressman Billybob]

This "114 and counting" is a phoney number. That IS the number of people gotten off death row. That is NOT the number released because of DNA analysis. Perhaps 10 were released for DNA reasons (and DNA was not an established, acceptable science at the time of their trials).

Most of the rest were released because their convictions were reversed on a technicality, decades after their crimes. Witnesses have died. Circumstances have changes. Prosecutors, while still convinced of the defendants' guilt, have declined to try the cases again -- perhaps for the third or fourth time, at public expense for both prosecution and defense.

Since the lead article in this compilation begins with a flat-out lie in its title and lead sentence, no further attention should be paid to it.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, now up FR, "News Unfit to Print."

[homeschool mama]

What an amazing story. THank you for posting it, oceanperch.

[Jackie-O]

Hi Howlin! Is the weather favorable for the search?

[babygene]

"Perhaps 10 were released for DNA reasons (and DNA was not an established, acceptable science at the time of their trials)."

Sorry, your numbers are wrong... Florida leads the country in inmates released (from death row) following DNA testing: 24 and counting.

[Howlin]

It looks pretty good to me, but I know nothing about sailing.

[homeschool mama]

A friend of ours works in the higher administrative level of the prison system...he said there are about 600 men on death row and 16 women on death row.

[homeschool mama]

**A google search came up with the estimated number of people on death row to be 3700**

Nationwide number?

[oceanperch]

Welcome

[PatrioticAmerican]

"If it is 114 out of 100,000, then I say that while there may be a problem, it is not a big problem.", unless YOU are sitting on death row.

The fact that a jury can be emotionally charged to convict is a HUGE problem.

[babygene]

" Nationwide number?"

Yes, that's the way I took it, but you can do the search yourself...

[Revolting cat!]

I committed all those crimes.

They done it!

[PatrioticAmerican]

#61 - TOTALLY Agree!

The fact is that the above average intelligence, which isn't saying much, have jobs that being away for a while would be bad, so they get out of jury duty. I've only been to jury duty once in my life, but I noticed the suit crowd was dismissed early on and the jury remained 1 retired cop, 3 housewives, 1 garbage man, and an 18 year old construction worker.

The women we glad to be getting the attention as jurors and wouldn't shut up when asked a question. They would ramble on about how nice it was to be called and that they would do their best and.... The cop couldn't speak well enough to be understood. The lawyers even asked the questions several times. The kid, well, he was really a kid.

The garbage man said, on the way out during a break, "We all know who did what. Let's see if the lawyer is smart enough to prove it to us." The case was about a vet who made a drug that killed a horse as was being sued.

Once I said that I produce commercial products and understand industry standards of testing...I as a goner. Dismissed.

[Devil_Anse]

He may not have to wait that long. He may be "executed" by someone who was erroneously taken off death row.

DNA mistakes can cut both ways.

[Dog Gone]

I've been on several juries (although not a death penalty case) and every time the jurors took it very seriously. There was nothing flippant about it.

[Devil_Anse]

So those people who were left after the "suit crowd" was dismissed weren't as good, b/c they didn't wear a suit to work? Even though each and every one of them had managed to make it that far in life w/o getting convicted of a crime?

Babysnooks--if you think juries can be prejudiced, but not a judge, and would prefer a judge, you ain't seen nothing, when it comes to pre-judging a case.

[dighton]

Check out the page where I found that heap-big patriot's photo.

[Dog Gone]

Oh geez. That site says it all...

[babygene]

"The fact is that the above average intelligence, which isn't saying much, have jobs that being away for a while would be bad, so they get out of jury duty."

Yes, and the average IQ in this country is about 100, so half the population, statistically, is lower than that. I would submit that probably NO ONE on this forum has an IQ that low