Justice Democracy and the Jury

<p>First published in 1997 this volume recognises that on trial in every criminal case heard by a jury is not only the defendant but the democratic premise that ordinary citizens are capable of sitting in judgement on that defendant. The jury is a quintessential democratic institution the lay cog in a criminal justice machine dominated by lawyers judges and police. Today however the jury finds itself under attack - on the right for perverse verdicts and on the left for miscarriages of justice. <i>Justice Democracy and the Jury</i> is an attempt to place the jury within a historical political and philosophical framework and to analyse the decision-making processes at work on a jury. The book also examines whether the model of the jury can be adapted to other decision-making contexts and whether citizens juries can be used to revive a flagging democracy and to empower the people on issues of public concern.</p>