A new appeal for members of the public to step forward and be mock jurors has been launched by a team of researchers at Lancaster University Law School.
The team are holding several mock criminal jury trials in May and June in the replica court room on Lancaster University’s campus, to better understand how justice is administered in England and Wales.
They are looking for members of the public to volunteer their time on one of either Saturday, May 31, Sunday, June 1, Saturday, June 7, or Sunday, June 8.
Study volunteers will become ‘jurors’ in a simulated live criminal trial based around a case involving sexual offences.
Evidence will be presented by real prosecution and defence barristers, witnesses will testify, and a real judge will preside over the case.
‘Juror’ participants will then be asked to deliberate along with 11 other members of the ‘jury’, deciding, as a group, whether they find the defendant guilty or not guilty. Jury deliberations will be audio-recorded and analysed by the researchers.
Participants will also be asked to complete short, anonymous questionnaires at various points throughout the day which will run from 9am to 4pm approximately.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided and, as a thank you for their time, mock jurors will receive a gift voucher.
Dr Siobhan Weare, from Lancaster University Law School, who is leading the project, funded by UKRI Economic and Social Research Council, explains the reasoning behind the project and the ‘real life’ impact the team are hoping the project will have.
“As it currently stands, it is against the law for jurors to discuss what happened in the jury deliberation room,” said Dr Weare.
“Therefore, it is often difficult to understand why jurors make the decisions that they do when we only get to hear their final verdict in a case.
“By conducting this research, we hope to develop a greater understanding of the decisions that people make when they are acting as jurors in sexual offences cases. This is important given the impact that such cases, and their outcomes, have on both complainants and defendants.”
The project team are working in close partnership with justice organisations to carry out this research in the hope that the findings will be able to directly inform the fair delivery of justice to those who are victimised and accused of crimes in England and Wales.
This is the University’s second and final round of mock trials before the research team analyse the responses and present their findings.
One participant, who took part in last year’s mock trials, commented: “I think this project is commendable and I was proud to be a part of it. Furthermore, I commend those who organised and took part in it for delivering such a realistic and professional trial. Well done all. I think the research into jury guidance is very much needed.”
Another said: “I thoroughly enjoyed participating and found the whole experience absolutely fascinating. I have never been called for jury service before, and my experience of the judicial system is limited to that of an ordinary citizen and the perceptions we see played out on the television.”
If you would like more information about this research project or, if you are interested in taking part, please complete the short form on Qualtrics.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Maddy Millar, the research associate on the project at m.millar1@lancaster.ac.uk
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