Jury

A jury is a group of ordinary people, who aren't employees of the court, who decide the answer to a question in a court room. Usually, this question is whether a person is guilty or innocent of committing a crime. A jury may also be responsible for deciding a penalty for the person if they are found guilty. Normally, all members of the jury have to agree on the decision. Sometimes, the jury can still make a decision even if a few members don't agree with it. However, if the jury is quite clearly divided, the result is known as a hung jury and the case is not decided. A member of a jury is called a juror. A juror is supposed to be impartial. This means that he or she is to be fair and listen to both sides of the story without deciding what side they will take ahead of time. Some people can not become members of a jury and others have the right to ask not to be made a member. People who can not be members are those which have a mental illness and people who can ask not to be made a juror include doctors and religious persons.