If you were on trial (a serious criminal trial) would you opt for trial by jury or a judge only trial?
If I was on trial, and I was innocent, I'd 100% go with a judge only trial. Having recently witnessed the process, the jury system is a MESS. People come in with preconceived ideas, especially if the case has had media attention like the one I was involved in. People have already decided if you're guilty or not before the trial even begins. Then you've got the ****ed up way the jury is decided. Each sides lawyer wants the most biased jury possible. They go for people who they think will most likely side with their argument. So in a case of murder, violence etc, the defence will pick truckies, hard knuckle bogans who tend to see abuse, violence and the likes part and parcel with life. The candidates who will most likely see the situation from the defendants point of view. Then you've got the prosecutors who want left wing mums, family orientated people and the younger social justice generation.
A judge isn't swayed by the media or the publics perception, they just go off the evidence provided.
So what would you do?
. I study law and just taking everything into consideration it's just a big ass mess America still has jury trial like we're living in the ****ing 17th century. Some random ass people making such HUGE decisions based on emotions is just disgusting.
