A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY ISSUES : Platform : Does a Jury or a Judge Dispense Better Justice?

I was on a jury in criminal court. We took a straw vote as soon as we got in the jury room and found we all agreed that the two guys charged with taking another man’s wallet were not guilty. In my own experience, justice was served, but in general it’s not.

I don’t think the poor and underprivileged get justice. Police are more likely to suspect minorities and to arrest them. Then they don’t have equal access to good attorneys. Next, prosecutors pick jurors who are unsympathetic. Then there’s institutional racism. Sometimes judges look at the person on trial and say: “Aha, he probably did it because of his color.”

Nonetheless, if I were ever charged with a crime, I’d prefer a jury to a judge. I think jurors are more impartial.