I received a Jury Summons from the Central Criminal Court of England, Old Bailey in London. Unfortunately I could not accept this honor due to my move back to Helsinki, Finland.
I was disappointed. Luckily my friend Roger Gifford suggested a visit for me and my colleague Leon Johnson to his offices at Old Bailey. Roger is Sheriff of London. Old Bailey is an impressive place, handling complex criminal cases. At the time, they were processing e.g. several murder cases.
Picture: Roger Gifford, Sheriff of London and Sami Miettinen
It would have been educational to be a juror in an English court proceedings, as up to now I have been somewhat sceptical of the ability of non-expert jurors to fairly judge the right and the wrong. Especially American court dramas are colouring my perspective, with images of great speeches turning the heads of juries for example in "small person's fair fight against an evil corporate". This decision will in addition form a case, which will be used as a reference point in similar future situations.
In criminal law, the stakes can be very high for an individual person. Like in negotiations, one would wish the result to be fair and based on facts. Innocent persons should not suffer for crimes they did not commit.... beyond reasonable doubt.
I remain skeptical for case law and using jurors and prefer the Finnish law system, which puts emphasis on the professional judges who must interpret the facts as they apply to the written law. Still, it would have been interesting..
PS. Over 10,000 visitors to http://www.neuvotteluvalta.com/. Many thanks!
0 comments:
Post a Comment