Jury Systems
How jury trials work, where they are used, and the debate about whether laypeople should decide criminal cases.
Jury Models
The jury trial is a defining feature of the common law tradition, but its implementation varies widely. The US guarantees a jury trial for serious criminal offenses under the Sixth Amendment, with 12 jurors who must reach a unanimous verdict. England and Wales use 12-person juries but allow majority verdicts (10-2). Scotland uses 15 jurors with a simple majority and a unique three-verdict system: guilty, not guilty, or not proven.
Many civil law countries do not use juries in the common law sense but have introduced lay participation. France uses a mixed bench of professional judges and lay assessors (jurés) for serious crimes in the Cour d'assises. Germany uses lay judges (Schöffen) who sit with professional judges and participate in both verdict and sentencing.
