another gap in my knowledge
June 14, 2002 | 12:21 a.m.

So, I don't get jury service.

The DJ I listen to the most on Radio 1 was saying that he's been called up or whatever they call it today, and even though he's very funny I wouldn't trust him to tell me if I looked fat in my new jeans, forget allowing him to decide whether or not another human being should be locked away for twenty years. This reminded me of the things I don't understand about the jury service thing - let's say, for the sake of argument, that a woman has had her throat cut. Her husband is the main suspect, but there isn't much evidence against him, it really could have been any number of people. The prosecution are going to say that it had to have been him, there may not be much evidence against him but there's even less against everyone else. The defence are going to say that he can't be convicted with so little evidence, it could just as easily have been any of the other suspects. I know I'm over-simplifying and bare-bones-ing it to a ridiculous degree, but that's basically how it happens in a case like that, isn't it? I don't understand why a group of people are taken off the street (for want of a better phrase) and allowed to decide the fate of this man. Presumably they screen them for ties to any extremist groups et cetera so they're not obviously prejudiced, but how can they know that they're going to be objective about it?

I've never studied Law, so I really don't know what I'm talking about here. I think there's something about criminals being judged by the people, for the people, so if you commit a crime you have to be judged by your peers... but it still doesn't seem quite right to me.

I guess you'd know more about all this than me, but maybe not, because I know even less about the Australian judicial system than I know about ours, you might do it differently over there. Your email is in the works, believe me *g*

That's about it. Sorry for the angst-a-thon yesterday, but hey, this is my diary and I reserve the right to angst in it if I so choose. Maybe I should post a warning in red text at the top of the angsty entries, I don't know.

<3
gf

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